The Forgotten
by xoanmeira
Summary: Broken...Scarred...The Man known only as Enigma to anyone who knew him. He was considered little more than a failure by the Illusive man, kept under lock and key until Commander John Shepard offers him a "new beginning" with a place on his team. This is an insert of a original character my friend came up with, i am writing this as a favor to him and as an OC insert into ME2 and 3.
1. Chapter 1-Purgatory

Chapter 1: Purgatory

(Shepard Is a Biotic, grew up as a spacer with both parents having served in the military before him, his LI through-out this series is Tali)

Purgatory: High Security Prison Ship

Shepard looked past the Prison guards, arms crossed, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown beneath the tempered visor of his N7 breather helmet. He was watching blue suns mercenaries, Turians specifically, not that it mattered to him what species they were. No, what bothered him was that they were beating a defenseless prisoner with no seeming end in sight. He had boarded the prison ship, _Purgatory,_ in search of the dangerous biotic referred to only as "Jack". The information he now was largely supplied with, that had been so _graciously_ provided by the Illusive man, was all he had to go on currently, for pretty much anything. "Being dead for two years certainly has not been a great use of my time," Shepard mused to himself as he stepped forwards to one of the guards, one of his gloved hands dangling ever closer to his custom Carnifex out of habit. "Can I help you? The Turian inquired flatly, making a point not to look at Shepard directly.

"There's no excuse for beating a prisoner who can't fight back." Shepard stated clearly, indicating the other guard in the cell with a nod of his head as he spoke, letting his posture and tone do the work for him.

"This is a massage compared to what his victims went through" the helmeted Turian retorted, shifting his weight on his hips and adjusting his stance to indicate something more towards… aggressive. Shepard considered his response for a moment, letting his own honor guide him as he replied, "This degrades you as much as him." Shepard let his words sink in, turning his head to meet the Guards gaze. "We have orders," The guard replied again flatly as if to seemingly disregard he was even responsible for his own actions.

"So, you're not important enough to make your own decisions?" Shepard replied quickly, hoping to change his mind by playing more into the thoughts of the Turian himself as opposed to just the conversation they were having. After a few moments, the guard looked at him and then back at the cell "I admit… I sometimes get tired of this. Does it really get us anything useful?" Shepard nodded, then added "Stop this, for your own sake," The Turian nodded at him with a seeming respect then looked over at the other guard tentatively, nodding his way. "Yeah, you're right…. Call it off, at least for now." In a flush of feeling towards his small victory, Shepard turned on his heel, and headed down the corridor briskly, Miranda and Garrus hot on his heels, his armor plating clacking together quietly in the lengthy hallway.

As Commander John Shepard rounded the next corner containing the wing of cell blocks, drawing closer to the separate area of the prison Jack was held in, he stopped at a darkened cell, its interior lights broken, surrounded by particle shields. This specific cell had caught his attention, it was different from the rest, more secure, but there was something else. The figure inside was a tall man, donned in the typical red prisoners garb, his broad shoulders looking out of place in a tiny prison cell. He had a plethora of spiky, jet black hair, thick eyebrows that seemed furrowed into a permanent frown, a strong jawline and hardened features, all topped off by a few scars. _He looks like he hasn't slept in years._ Shepard thought to himself, his bright blue eyes examining the man before him in a very studious and pensive manner.

"What are _you_ looking at?" The man asked, his voice low and threatening, a green biotic glow surrounding him momentarily as he stressed the word _You,_ the veins in his neck only accentuating the harshness behind it _._

"I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy, and you are?" Shepard replied, avoiding the initial question as he was admittedly wondering why this man seemed soldier material to him. Shepard had curiosity eating away at him to figure out if he knew this prisoner from somewhere.

"I'm called Enigma. But _she_ could probably tell you that," He shot angrily, looking over at Miranda, it became more apparent to Shepard that he had seen the Cerberus emblem displayed openly on her outfit. Miranda shook her head slightly and threw up her hands in a display of innocence,

"I had nothing to do with the branch of Cerberus responsible for…all that happened to you," She said defensively, looking across to Shepard, half-expecting him to ask her what she knew. When Shepard looked across to her from his place next to Garrus, the Turian friend of his who was also now looking at her with curiosity, his mandibles flaring slightly into the Turian equivalent of a could tell he was considering calling her out in one of his sarcastic ruses for _scapegoating_ or something as equally embarrassing. _Don't even think about it, Vakarian._ She mentally shot at him.

"Miranda?" Shepard asked impatiently crossing his arms and leaning back, his weight shifting to his right leg as it always did when he was waiting for a response. Before she could answer however, Enigma took a step towards the cell door, his face and upper body emerging more clearly in the light cast from the hallway. His ankles were omni-cuffed to the floor, Shepard noticed.

"Cerberus threw me in here, after I destroyed one of their precious little bases." He spat indignantly towards Miranda, glaring at her with a hatred of the likes of which Shepard had never seen before.

"They pay to keep me here, far away from their precious labs and equipment, and with good reason. They know they can't kill me. I'm too valuable to them, and they know how fucked they would be if I got _out_." Enigma sneered, wondering not only how the _Great Commander Shepard_ was alive, but, if he _was_ who he said he was, why he would even bother talking to a prisoner? or be on a prison ship for that matter? These were all questions swimming around in Enigma's head as he looked out at the 3 sets of eyes all focused on him.

"We'll be back later, I have some more questions for you, but right now, we came here to see Jack." Shepard looked over Enigma once more before motioning to Garrus and walking down the corridor the warden had indicated to them when they arrived, Miranda following behind closely.

"Good luck with that. I've heard she's a bitch." Enigma said through his teeth, silently cursing Cerberus again for his current situation. _But What is Shepard even doing with an organization like that? The ANN painted him up as an honorable hero for fucks sake._ He mused, sitting back down, his weight shifting against his back on the wall as he slid heavily to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2-An Unexpected Ally

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Ally

Shepard and his squad had just finished off the prison ships warden, it had been a difficult battle, one that weighed particularly heavy on Garrus, who much to his own dismay realized the rocket wound to his face had put a damper on his mid-battle sarcasm.

"Hey Shepard!" Garrus piped up promptly after sending a searing hot sniper round through the face of the last enemy mercenary that was unfortunate enough to find themselves in his sights, "That warden had an attitude almost as stiff as your dance moves." He concluded, flaring his mandibles out into what seemed to be the beginnings of a wide grin, his sharp teeth glinting in the red flashing emergency lights of the cell block. Shepard turned to face his Turian friend, bringing up his Carnifex. Garrus' eyes widened in a mix of confusion and fear as his friend fired. The shot screamed past Garrus' head and slammed into the chest of a merc that had been about to attack his un-sheltered backside. Hearing the gurgle and cry behind him, Garrus whirled only to see the merc crumple to the floor.

"You missed one." Shepard chuckled, the dark humor in his voice apparent even though his mouth and lower face were concealed behind his helmet. "Nice shot…Thanks Shepard, you've saved my sorry ass more times than I can count." Garrus inclined his chin, his mandibles clicking about his face as he looked Shepard over. "Same here Garrus." The exchange had lasted only a few seconds, but to Miranda it had seemed like an eternity.

"Boys if you're quite done playing around we have to find Jack." She said sternly, her eyes moving over to the doorway as she turned and walked out into the corridor, Shepard and Garrus following her briskly.

-Warden's Office-

Enigma was pleased to have his clothes back, more specifically, his Drell fashioned trench-coat. His things had been confiscated by the Blue suns warden when Cerberus had him thrown into this prison. Enigma had broken into the warden's office to reclaim what was his as soon as he was free of his cell. _This breakout must be Shepard's handiwork._ Enigma mused, doubting the warden would ever return for his belongings if he had double crossed Shepard as it was apparent the transfer he must have set up for Jack had not gone smoothly. Glancing down at the warden's desk, Enigma noticed the soft amber gleam of a personal credit chit. He was not a thief by heart or trade, but he felt no remorse as he swiped up the warden's credit chit from the desk on his way to the confiscated weapons locker. As Enigma passed the various displays containing docking logs he paused, looking for any ships that he might be able to steal or stow away on, but the manifest listed only one ship currently in dock. " _The Normandy."_ He breathed, his warm breath condensing into a soft cloud of vapor that hung in the cold air of the station.

He knew well that the ship had been destroyed from listening to the prison guards gossip. Enigma wasn't about to question how the ship survived however, it was the only way off the station, and that meant he probably had to make some sort of deal with Shepard. _Great._ He thought to himself, turning into the weapons store room he picked up a standard issue M8 Avenger rifle and some spare thermal clips before continuing to rummage about, looking for his personal weapons.

 _I hope this damn warden didn't sell prisoners' personal belongings like that Salarian I ran into on Omega,_ Enigma pondered, feeling some relief as he discovered his black painted Carnifex in a box alongside his favorite and most valuable weapon, an N7 Piranha full auto shotgun he had taken from an open cargo shipment the day he arrived on Omega, an unarmed 19-year-old with nothing more than largely untrained biotics to defend himself. Shaking his thoughts from the past he quickly gathered his weapons, holstering them as he turned and rushed down the corridor towards the docking bay, hoping Shepard had not left yet.

-Docking Bay-

Shepard, Garrus and Miranda had finally caught up with Jack, their efforts seemingly close to failure as Shepard carefully tried to negotiate with the short-tempered woman in front of him. "I'll Give you full access." Shepard stated bluntly, noting that the individual he was conversing with would probably appreciate a straightforward answer.

"Shepard you're not authorized to do that." Miranda chimed in, hoping it might not be too late to change the commander's mind. She certainly didn't want a tattooed psychopath poking around in databases that contained sensitive information.

"Ooo...it makes the cheerleader mad, even better." Jack sneered, one side of her lip lifting to join her snide tone as she studied them, her eyes absorbing the group in its entirety, no doubt assessing the potential threat. "You'd better be Straight-up with me…Come on what are we waiting for?" She shot at them before impatiently climbing into the docking tube connecting to _The Normandy_. Shepard turned to Garrus, who shrugged, before entering the tunnel.

"Commander Shepard!" a voice called out from the end of the docking tunnel. Turning on his heel, Shepard recognized the man he has seen earlier, Enigma.

"I'm Guessing you need a ride off this boat too?" He quipped, reaching a hand down, fingers outstretched to rest on his Carnifex Wearily, watching Enigma slow to greet him.

"Yes." Enigma replied shortly, hoping for some kind of response from the Commander, watching his piercing blue eyes through the visor of the commander's helmet as he thought it over. Finally, Shepard turned, motioning for Enigma to follow him into the _Normandy's_ airlock where Garrus, Jack, And Miranda where already waiting, Miranda's disapproving look speaking for itself.

"I can't make that kind of decision right now. We can talk aboard once we are clear of the station, and I've had time to think. So, Welcome aboard Enigma."


	3. Chapter 3-Worthy

Chapter 3-Worthy

Enigma Had not been the most enthusiastic about giving up his weapons again, even if it was to Shepard's team as opposed to prison guards like last time. Enigma wasn't one to easily trust, and as such he fixed Garrus with a scrutinizing stare as he handed over his weapons, the metal rattling against Garrus' armor as he walked them down the length of the CIC to hand off to Jacob, who looked them over concentratively before brushing past Mordin Solus, the Salarian scientist whose mouth knew no speed limit.

Shepard spoke up, having removed his combat helmet Enigma could see the stern and strong set features of the man who had spared his life, the look in his eyes, he could tell, was the look of someone who had witnessed the unthinkable, much like enigma himself. "So, I'm going to have to let our scientist, Mordin, check you out before you can even go anywhere on the ship. I'm sorry but that goes for you too Jack, we don't know what crap might've been going around on that ship." He spoke apologetically, feeling the need to empathize as well as justify regulations to former prisoners. Jack's angry brown eyes flicked over to Enigma, then back to Shepard as she contemplated what had just been said. "The Salarian can examine him first." She stated cocking a thumb at Enigma in a half-irritated, half-joking manner. "If that Alien's got any weird butt-probing fetishes, he's taking the first round."

Joker called out from the cockpit, butting in with a humorous quip. "Just try not to scuff up my ship, will you? She's all shiny and new and I'd like to keep it that way."

Both Enigma and Jack glanced up towards the cockpit at Joker, the pilot of the first _Normandy_ who remained a close friend of Shepard's ever since they had met aboard the SR-1. "Ah, that would be Joker, our pilot." Shepard concluded with a grin, nodding his chin subtly in the direction of Joker's chair as Enigma followed his gaze with an un-amused expression.

"You're in good hands you two, Mordin, I want a full report after you're done with them. And Miranda, let's see about getting Jack access to our systems. I'll meet with you two individually after your 'Check-up'. If anyone needs me I'll be in my quarters on deck one." Shepard relaxed his shoulders a bit, letting the tension of the battle he had just fought drain from his tense muscles as he nodded towards Jack and Enigma before retreating to the elevator on the other side of the CIC.

"He looks weak." Enigma said suddenly, more so speaking to himself than Jack as he tilted his head to point out Joker and his lack of physical presence.

"I may be a cripple, but my hearing is as sharp as ever." Joker retorted from the cockpit, giving enigma a telling hard backwards glare. When Enigma just glared back, Jack scoffed and rolled her eyes before looking over at Joker again in a semi-amused manner. They had barely had Twenty seconds before Mordin approached them, and then the onslaught of testing and questions began.

Deck 1: Shepard's Cabin

It had been a rather peculiar day, that's for sure. Shepard had travelled to purgatory seeking only one person to help him on his mission to stop the collectors. But now it seemed he had two. He had long since removed his combat armor, and stowed it away, selecting a simple uniform to done before pouring himself a cup of steaming hot coffee and taking a seat on his couch, looking out across his room to watch his fish swim lazily about in their tank, nibbling at the fish flakes he had sprinkled in a few minutes prior.

 _I don't know anything about this Enigma, I have a lot of unanswered questions not just regarding him, but several developments I have learned about Cerberus. I doubt that the illusive man would be willing to share any of those with me. And as much as I hate collaborating with Cerberus, I really have no choice since they are the only ones doing anything about the Collector attacks. It's no surprise the council ignored my warnings. Again. Just like they did before._ John sighed, interrupting his thoughts to take another sip of coffee. Mulling over his options regarding how he might convince the council that they urgently needed to _prepare_ for the Reapers was not exactly his best use of time right now as the council would likely not change their minds any time soon.

As John sat there, virtually consumed in his worry, his mind drifted back to where he had felt some semblance of solace, back on freedoms progress when he had seen one of his closest friends, Tali'Zorah.

 _Why is it so hard to focus without her around?_ John simply sat and pursed his lips in silent wonder of what he thought his heart might be telling him.

The Migrant Fleet: Tali's Cabin

 _He's alive!_ It had been days since she had seen Shepard on freedoms progress, but she still could not believe it, the recognition of that fact still running through her mind like a song on repeat. The walls that had held her up after two years of mourning him had come crumbling back down that day. When Tali had returned to the fleet with Veetor, she had gone immediately to her cabin…to come to terms with herself that the man she had thought dead, her inspirational commander. Was actually _Alive_ and seemingly well, despite his displayed displeasure towards his current cooperation with Cerberus.

Tali had just finished working on her combat drone, Chatika, when her omni-tool pinged. A message from Shala'Raan. "Haestrom?" Tali breathed, her chest rising sharply as she sent her fingers flying feverously over the keypad. In the back of her mind however, her thoughts began to drift back to her time on the _Normandy_ with Commander Shepard.

 _The Normandy_ : Conference Room

The meeting with Jack, Miranda, and Jacob had gone well. All things considered, Shepard did think she would make herself out to be an important part of the team. Everyone has their own place to fulfill, and right now Shepard wasn't sure what that meant for Enigma. Stepping out into the aft connecting hallway his piercing blue eyes following his movements, he turned right, striding down the short hall into the Lab where Mordin spent most of his time. His meticulous research on the samples Shepard often brought him from the collector attack sites had resulted in Mordin becoming an invaluable asset to his entire team.

Looking up from his Terminal, Mordin waved Enigma away dismissively, his gloved fingers making a small whooshing noise as he made the motion repeatedly until Enigma took a step backwards, mostly to avoid getting smacked in the face. "Tests are completed. Go now, talk to Shepard, he will want to hear your story. Have tests to run, time sensitivity not a friendly variable." Mordin spat hurriedly, encouragingly nodding his head in the direction of Shepard. His attention quickly returning back to his terminal, the three-fingered hands flying over the glowing amber holo-screen as if in some mystic dance.

Enigma looked over to see the Commander shrug rather nonchalantly and motion for Enigma to follow him. "Is it true what Mordin showed me? That he discovered traces of Collector DNA in your system? These statistics he sent highlighted the specifics." Shepard had activated his omni-tool while he spoke, opening the message Mordin had sent him with graphs and blood tests, measurements compared to that of a sample gathered from a dead Collector. Enigma glared at the screen with hate that might have stopped a Krogan from charging as Shepard tilted the display for him to see. Enigma chose his next words carefully, not wanting to have to repeat the more traumatic parts of his past.

"Cerberus, they experimented on me for as long as I can remember. They wanted to make a biotic who was instilled with the 'power of the enemy.' Their project didn't go so well though. I didn't turn out the way they wanted, biotics no more powerful than an Asari matriarch. They cast me aside. And when I finally escaped those labs, I destroyed that facility. I destroyed them _All_. Every. Last. One." He spat the last three words through his teeth, his fists clenched in a controlled rage. "It's ok. You don't have to tell me any more about that. Just show me how you are worthy." Shepard soothed, carefully picking up the cup of coffee he had left in the meeting room, offering it to Enigma, who took it somewhat gratefully, watching the dark brown liquid slosh around in the mug before taking a large sip of the heavenly substance.

"What do you mean exactly?" He inquired, wondering just what Shepard was getting at.

"I'm offering you a place on my team. Normally I would not do things like this, but we are going to need all the allies we can get to help defeat the Collectors, and then the Reapers when they finally arrive." Shepard finished as he took a sip from the mug he had been carrying around himself, the steam parting in paths as it floated lazily up past his nose.

Enigma reeled back a moment. "The Reapers. So, the rumors are true then?"

"Yes." Shepard replied plainly, placing his mug down on the table, the ceramic making a soft "clink" on the hard surface. "Earn my trust by fighting alongside me and my crew, respect them as I have respected you. _Prove your worth_."

It sounded like a challenge to Enigma, or an opportunity, and however many times he tossed it around in his head, he could not seem could not decide which.

Enigma Grabbed Shepard's outstretched hand and shook firmly, the Commander's eyes full of acknowledgement. "Deal."


	4. Chapter 4-Haestrom

Chapter 4- Haestrom

 _Finally!_ The Illusive man had been helpful for once, providing data on Tali's whereabouts. Shepard had been worried about Tali ever since seeing her on freedoms progress, where she lost the squad under her command even though he had assisted them in finding the young Quarian, Veetor. She had not been at fault for those deaths, Shepard knew this, but he hadn't been convinced Tali believed that was so. The night after Enigma and Jack arrived, he decided he had feelings for Tali. He couldn't have explained any other way to reason why he felt the way he did other than affection. He had thought long and hard about it through the nights that passed after his emotional epiphany. The only doubts he had in his mind now were if Tali felt the same…Shepard's thoughts were then suddenly interrupted by EDI however, the new _Normandy's_ AI, which jolted him back to reality. he was undoubtedly currently still skeptical of EDI, being as she had been installed into the _Normandy_ by Cerberus, but he had begun to accept her as part of his crew nonetheless.

EDI's voice always seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, he noticed, but it was never insanely intrusive. "Shepard, we will be entering orbit around Haestrom in about 30 minutes."

"Thanks EDI." John replied, tossing the datapad he had been studying onto his bed casually as he got up from his place on the couch, taking care not to bump his knee against the stack of mission reports practically hanging off the edge of his coffee table. _I really need to take care of this mess later,_ he decided, his boots making a soft thumping noise while he trotted over to the elevator, mashing the button for deck 3, he began pulling on his combat armor over the Cerberus emblem on his uniform. _Better._ He thought to himself, brushing the dust and grime from his helmets visor before placing it on the floor to tighten the straps securing his armor plating. When the elevator doors opened, he was already dressed, having practiced the quick donning of his armor many a time. Shepard scooped up his helmet from the floor and strode out of the elevator with a certain pride in his step, he had always felt like somewhat of a bad-ass ever since he had first put on a set of combat armor, the feeling was satisfying and never really got old for him. Shepard's moment of satisfaction was fleeting as he was soon focused back onto the task at hand. Grabbing a ham sandwich off the plate of "snack food" Gardner always left out for the crew, he took a whopping bite before approaching Garrus, who had just left the main battery and was now headed towards him.

"Looking for me?" Garrus quipped, tilting his head, mandibles pressing inwards slightly.

"Yeah, we're going to Haestrom, hopefully to find Tali, so I want you combat ready in 20 minutes." Shepard said between bites of his sandwich, not savoring his meal as much as he would have liked to.

Garrus stared at him blankly for a moment before his mandibles flared into a wide grin. "Haestrom. As in the planet that's going to eventually fall into its own sun? Why don't we ever go anywhere _Nice_?"

Shepard let out a small chuckle, finishing his sandwich he looked into Garrus' eyes with a grin plastered on his face. "Let me know if the Geth ever decide to hole up somewhere in tropical paradise, I promise you ill get us that mission for sure."

"What an excellent use of Spectre rank." Garrus retorted, his flanged voice vibrating in a stifled laugh. Shepard shook his head, smiling as he patted his friend on the shoulder before beginning to make his way over to the elevator.

"Right, and Garrus?" Shepard called out, spinning on his heel as he stepped backwards into the elevator, bringing up his omni-tool to go over the provided intel one more time.

"Yes Shepard?" Garrus replied in a more professional tone, shifting his weight to one side.

"Could you prep Enigma as well? I want to see just what he's capable of." He stated openly, picking a small piece of shrapnel out of his right gauntlet before looking back up at his XO.

Garrus shifts uncomfortably, eying his Commander, mandibles twitching as he spoke "You're right Shepard, we don't know what he's capable of. Are you sure you know what you're doing? He wasn't part of the plan."

Shepard looked his friend over, carefully considering what he had said. Garrus was correct, they had no idea what Enigma was capable of, and knew virtually nothing about him. But the Commander knew he had made his decision already. "Everyone deserves a chance, Garrus. Plus, if things go south, I'll have my best friend there to watch my back."

Garrus grinned slightly, his armor clinking together at the seams as he turned to head back and grab his weapons. But not before looking back over his shoulder to acknowledge his Commander. "What is that saying you humans have? Two-shay?" He jested, before heading back towards the main battery.

"That'd be the one." He breathed, watching Garrus' back as the elevator doors closed in front of him with an audible _whoosh_ of air.

- _The Normandy_ : Haestrom orbit, Port Side Observation Deck

Enigma groaned lightly, rousing from a deep sleep having heard the sharp clacking of armor entering the room assigned to him by EDI. It wasn't long before Garrus' head popped into view over Enigma's reclined position upon one of the two couches in the room. Garrus tilted his head at Enigma, trying to figure out if the human was looking at him through half-closed eyes, or was honestly still asleep. He gave up trying to tell. _Humans and their funny faces._ He proceeded to place Enigma's weapons on the table adjacent to the bed before returning to hover above his head.

Garrus clapped his hands together sharply, once, but before he could a second time, Enigmas hand shot out, pulling the Turian down until his eyes were inches away. "Don't do that." Enigma said flatly, coldly staring into Garrus' eyes. Garrus returned the Icy stare, his flanged voice not hinting the slightest fear.

"The Commander wants you battle ready in ten minutes. Oh, and bring your sunscreen because Haestrom is toasty this time of year." Garrus finished, sarcasm practically dripping out of his last sentence. Yanking his arm out of Enigma's grasp, he stood back up to his full height, adjusting the gauntlet where Enigma had grabbed him. Enigma stood slowly, gathering his weapons off of the table and holstering them to the magnetic strips along the back of his Drell fashioned trench coat before turning to face Garrus, who was equally as armed. Garrus motioned for Enigma to follow, stepping out into the hallway the duo made their way down the corridor and stepped into the elevator, Garrus mashing at the button for the hanger bay rather impatiently.

"Who pissed in your cereal?" Enigma scoffed, inclining his head towards the towering form of the Turian, but not before running his hands down his coat, brushing any wrinkles out of the fabric.

"Let's just say I don't trust you. Let me make myself clear, any move to harm the Commander. Boom." Garrus shot back, giving Enigma a glancing glare as he pulled out a homing grenade, flipping it in his hand for emphasis before tucking it back into its rightful place. Enigma brought up his omni-tool, making last minute calibrations to his shields. Their scientist, Mordin, had given him an omni-tool as a kind gesture to replace the one taken from him in purgatory.

Enigma finished calibrating his shields to his liking as the doors opened revealing the _Normandy's_ cargo bay and multiple Kodiak drop shuttles.

"I know what I signed on to do." He voiced sternly to Garrus, turning to face the armored Turian before he could leave the elevator. "I know Shepard isn't going to tolerate Cerberus for long, and when he turns on them, I'm going to be there alongside him, helping bring Cerberus crashing down around the Illusive man's _greedy_ little hands." Enigma shot back, a visible fire burning within his eyes as they darted over Garrus' face, looking for a reaction.

Garrus smirked slightly, his mandibles stretching out in the process before he replied in a serious, yet challenging tone. "Then let's see just what you're made of."


	5. Chapter 5-Primed

Chapter 5- Primed

Haestrom was a former colony world in Geth space, with a deteriorating orbit the planet was expected to fall into its own sun within the year. As such, the Quarians had sent Tali'Zorah Vas Neema to gather any remaining data from the planets scientific archives. The heat from Haestrom's sun was unbearable, direct sunlight frying your shields in a matter of minutes, and direct contact with skin causing severe burns and most certainly fatal in long term exposure. Luckily for Shepard, Garrus, and Enigma, they were sticking to shade mostly, using cover to their advantage as they dashed between or under cover to avoid the dangerous rays of direct sunlight. They were following a wake of destruction, fighting off Geth forces as they made their way along the surface in search of Tali or her team.

"Garrus watch your flank!" Shepard shouted out before his biotics flared to life, pulling the shimmering form of a Geth hunter that had been attempting to ambush Garrus towards him. When the Hunter was mid-air, Shepard opened fire, the shot from his Carnifex travelling clean through The Geth hunter's head. The hunter fell against a low wall and shuddered, some semblance of gray oil spewing from its head as it let out an electronic shriek before crumpling to the ground with a loud _Clang_.

"Thanks Shepard!" Garrus shouted from behind his cover a couple hundred meters back, continuing to pick off any Geth troopers that were pressing their assault on the teams' position. Shepard and Enigma looked on as they saw a Geth prime emerge from the building they were trying to get to. The Geth prime seemed to glare at them for a moment, its menacing tri-dotted eye rotating around in its head before whipping around to meet the gaze of the enemy closest to it. It took only a second, but before Shepard could line up a shot, the massive Geth swung its arm up in one surprisingly graceful motion, unleashing its combat drone upon the trio while simultaneously firing a barrage of rockets that forced them to take cover. Shepard composed himself, letting his shields recharge as chips of debris came raining down on his helmet, the finer dust coating the unrepairable scuffs in his battle-worn armor.

"Garrus, where'd Enigma go? I don't see him anywhere," Shepard shouted over the onslaught of rockets now threatening to destroy his cover. Garrus popped his head over the crate he was behind in response, looking down the scope of his rifle, he tracked his target closely before firing, the shot sending the prime's drone tumbling out of the sky.

Garrus ducked back into cover quickly, just barley evading a rocket that soon sailed over where his head had been. "I knew we wouldn't be able to trust that bastard!" he shouted to Shepard, who was meticulously unleashing controlled bursts of fire on the prime from behind his rapidly deteriorating cover. Suddenly, the Geth prime buckled and folded, crying out in a jarring shriek as it melted and imploded on itself as it was hit from behind by a huge blast of glowing green biotics. The concentrated beam of biotic energy ripping its shields to shreds, melting the weaker armor and fuel pipes on its back. This chain reaction caused the prime to buckle in on its own melting components before exploding into a shower of armor and electronic components. Enigma stood where the prime had been, his defensive biotic field diminishing as he whirled on the remaining Geth, unloading blasts from his piranha shotgun into the larger groups of the surprised troops.

"Open fire!" Shepard called out to Garrus, swinging out his scimitar shotgun, vaulting his cover as he charged the remaining Geth, throwing a singularity into the mix to keep them off balance. Garrus followed suit, switching to his vindicator battle rifle as he joined Shepard in the charge against the remaining Geth forces, careful to avoid any patches of sunlight. Shepard charged, shooting a rocket trooper in the back, using its falling body as a ramp, he lunged at the hunter behind the crumpling form of the rocket trooper, sinking his searing hot omni-blade through the hunter's head. Garrus picked off the remaining Geth, firing bursts into their chests from behind an ancient metal pillar that was now serving as his new cover.

"Enigma what were you thinking, dashing off during a fight like that? Are you trying to get us killed?" Garrus snapped at him, emerging from behind his cover only once the last Geth had fallen. Enigma crossed his arms defiantly, giving Shepard a glancing look before returning his shotgun to its mount on his back.

"I seem to remember saving your asses from that Geth prime," Enigma shot back, lacing an icy glare into the look he returned to Garrus, his respect for the Turian dwindling as his constant questioning of methods was becoming tiresome.

"Relax Garrus," Shepard gave his friend a reassuring look before continuing, "Enigma here seems to like getting up close and personal with his tactics, all the better to keep enemies from paying attention to the sniper in the back. I won't tolerate in-fighting so you two are going to have to get along somehow." He finished, furrowing his brow slightly before nodding to them. Shepard then turned making his way through the Geth sprawled about on the ground to enter the building the prime had emerged from. Garrus shifted his weight uncomfortably before looking at Enigma with a semblance of obscure admiration.

"Sorry. Just takes a while to get used to all…this with someone new thrown in the mix."

Enigma wandered after Shepard, waving his hand backwards dismissively as he and Garrus followed their Commander. "Its fine," he said flatly, clearly wanting to return to the task at hand. Garrus gave an almost indistinguishable nod of understanding, his mind drifting to Tali. She had been like a little sister to Garrus since they had grown closer during their hunt for their hunt for the rouge Spectre, Saren. He could understand why Shepard seemed to hold this mission in priority over his others, the resounding worry for Tali being an apparent factor. After all, Shepard had received word regarding Tali's whereabouts as soon as he had finished helping Liara deal with the Shadow Broker. Garrus knew that after helping Liara, Shepard had intended to go directly back to Ilium after a pit stop at Purgatory to look for the Drell Assassin and the Asari Justicar the Illusive man had recommended for the team. But instead, Shepard had dropped everything he was doing to go help Tali. A thought dawned on Garrus then, as he looked at Shepard knowingly, watching his friend speak to Tali through the building's holo-communications unit. Garrus smiled internally, his mandibles flaring only slightly as his mind rolled through what had occurred to him. _Shepard loves her. Doesn't he? This can't be too recent of a feeling for him. Look at the way he looks at her._ Garrus mused to himself, standing next to Enigma patiently as Shepard cut the communication.

"Ok you two, we are going to be heading in there hot, Tali is alive down there, she holed herself up inside the building but there's a Geth Colossus on the doorstep, so let's move!" Shepard spoke up, watching as two pairs of eyes, one human, and one Turian, dash to meet the source of his commanding tone. Shepard beckoned them to follow him as he un-holstered his rifle, letting it fully deploy before trotting down the corridor towards the nav-point Tali given him.

"Anything else we should know?" Garrus inquired, his battle serious tone returning, only able to keep up with Shepard, who was now running. Garrus' long Turian legs allowed him to keep in pace with the powerful human soldier that was Commander Shepard.

Shepard spoke through steadily paced breaths, making sure not to gasp on his helmets filtered air as the three of them ran through hallways an out into a courtyard, dodging rays of sunlight to avoid damage to their shields.

"Only that we are going to rendezvous with a Marine named Kal Reegar, who by the sound of things could use some major help breaking through the Geth forces."

Enigma smiled slightly, thinking of more creative ways to smash the Geth to bits as the group began slowing, approaching the coordinates more cautiously as the distinct sounds of gunfire grew louder. They entered a room with what appeared to be large windows covered by large blast shields, Enigma watched as Shepard walked forwards, looking to override the seals Tali's team had no doubt left in place to keep the Geth forces from flanking them. Shepard's fingers flew over the amber holo-display, making soft tracings as he called upon some of the skills he had picked up from Tali through their time working together. The console beeped, the rooms doors and windows retracting to reveal a courtyard full of Geth forces and the Geth Colossus. The Colossus, being as tall as it was, noticed the red blast shields on the windows lower, turning its head in their direction, Shepard barely had enough time to shout, "Get down!" Before the Colossus fired, causing the trio to dive for cover as an explosion rocked the room, chunks of the ceiling raining down on their forms as they scrambled to get behind the wall and out of sight of the colossus. They carefully crept around the windows, heading out the door they ran right into a small group of Geth Tali's team had most likely trapped in the next room.

"I got this," Enigma shouted, charging up his biotics he used Pull to drag a Geth hunter into his field, manipulating the hunter like a living hammer he begun to fling it around, smashing its limp body against the other Geth in the room, sending them flying into the walls with enough force to break the fuel lines on their backs. The Geth all emitted electronic shrieks as they slowly "Bled" to death, much to Enigma's twisted amusement. He dropped the Geth hunter in front of him, pulling his shotgun on it, he fired two blasts through its head as it struggled to get up, its body crippled from having been smashed against its brethren.

Enigma bowed sarcastically to Garrus, who was looking on to the scene of destruction with a glint of surprise showing in his eyes. "After you."

"Impressive Enigma. Hell, you might be able to one up Liara in a fight." Shepard commented, moving through the room, Enigma and Garrus falling into step behind him as he took the lead.

"Who's Liara?" Enigma asked, interested to see what kind of person might be able to rival his own power. He felt a little cocky having pulled off that stunt, Just a little.

"She's an old friend of mine, you'd like her, we can talk later though, I think I saw where the rockets firing at the Geth are coming from," Shepard replied quickly, rushing past some sunlight on his way to the next bend in the road, or what remained of it anyway.

Rounding the corner, they came across a brightly suited Quarian crouching behind a low wall. "Over here, Quick!" The Quarian shouted at them, the rocket launcher in his hands hidden in the curling smoke from its barrel, having just unleashed a barrage of rockets on the Geth forces in the courtyard on the other side of the wall.

They dashed into cover, Garrus laying momentary suppressing fire as Shepard made to crouch next to the Quarian soldier.

"Squad leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. We Talked on the Radio before that dropship arrived. I still got no idea why you're here, but this isn't the time to be picky," Kal shouted over the gunfire, an explosion from a blast by the Colossus rocking their cover momentarily, rocks and various other debris raining down on them from above.

"Tali's inside over there. The Geth killed the rest of my squad, and they're trying to get to her. Best I've been able to do is draw their attention," Kal finished, the explosions rocking against their cover ensuring that there would be little time for planning ahead.

Shepard looked worried, more than worried, Garrus noted, but that look was quickly gone as the level-headed Shepard he knew returned in an instant. "Are you sure she's still alive?"

Kal nodded slightly, raising his rocket momentarily to return fire before ducking back down to talk to Shepard. "The observatory is reinforced. Even the Geth need time to get through it. And it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you." Kal reassured Shepard, if not only momentarily, but the small quip of humor among the last sentence was somewhat comforting to the Commander. Kal peeked over the wall a moment before continuing, "The Geth are near platoon strength, but the Colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot while it's down like that. I tried to move in closer but one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit!"

Shepard gave the Quarian marine an understanding nod, "How bad is your suit damage?"

"Combat seals clamped down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in antibiotics. The Geth might get me but I'm not going to die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just insulting!"

"We need to get to Tali, got any ideas?" Shepard shouted as a mortar exploded right in front of their cover, the shockwave throwing Garrus onto the ground. He scrambled back up next to Enigma, peeking over to pick off a few Geth with his sniper rifle.

Kal Spoke up after regaining his senses from the blast, "Just one! I'm not moving so well, but I can still pull a trigger, and I've got a rocket launcher the sun still hasn't fried yet! You move in close. I'll keep the colossus busy, maybe even drop its shields. With luck, you'll be able to finish it off."

Shepard spoke insistently, not wanting this Quarian to throw his life away when he had the power to prevent it, "You've done enough, Reegar. You don't need to throw your life away.

"Wasn't asking your permission. My job to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot," Kal replied, standing up to face the full force of the Geth, the resulting explosions from his rocket launcher sending Geth troopers fling in several different directions. Shepard stood quickly, pulling the Quarian out of the way just as a beam from the Colossus exploded against the wall behind them. "We don't have enough people for you to take one for the team! Stand down!" as the dust settled, the two men slid down the wall, seeking safety once again behind the low wall. Kal looked at the human quizzically before a slight anger rose into his chest, "I'm not going to stand there while you run into enemy fire! They killed my whole squad!"

"And if you want to honor your squad, watch my back! I need you here in case they bring reinforcements!" He shot back, the thought having occurred to him that Tali would not have to bear losing _everyone_ under her command.

The marine seemed to consider Shepard's words for a moment, the commander wondered if maybe he realized something similar to what he had before Kal'Reegar replied in a semi-defeated manner, "All right Shepard. We'll do it your way. Hit them for me. Keelah se'lai."


	6. Chapter 6-Paths Reunited

Chapter 6-Paths Reunited

Haestrom: Observatory

Tali felt hopeless, she had locked herself inside this building and could do nothing to help! Kal'Reegar had assured her that protecting her and the data she now held within one of her suit pockets, could not be risked in a fight out there with the Geth, especially with a colossus on the doorstep. How was Shepard ever going to make it past a colossus? Sure, he had faced them before, but he had been safely strapped in an M-35 Mako. Tali knew she shouldn't allow herself hope right now, not when she could hear Geth troops outside the door, trying to hack their way in. Tali sighed heavily, leaning her head back against the wall, she felt the life support tubes beneath her hood that connected her helmets air supply to the rest of her suit, bend under the pressure. As the dust from the crumbling wall fell, she clutched her shotgun closer, her gloved fingers tracing the scuffs and scratches in the white anodized metal blindly.

 _Shepard…you're going to get yourself killed out there…for me of all people, when you have a galaxy to save._ Tali thought to herself sorrowfully, reaching into her pocket she pulled out the data drive Shepard had given back to her after he presented the proof Saren was working with the Geth to the council. He could have kept it for himself, taken the data on the Geth and Saren, but he didn't, he had given it back to her, let her take the data back to the flotilla as her pilgrimage gift. People tended to look down on the Quarians for having created the Geth, but Shepard had always treated her as an equal, a friend, sometimes Tali even suspected there might be more to it. When she had spoken to him on the comm not minutes ago, he had seemed…worried, but in a certain way she couldn't quite put her finger on, she knew it made her feel a comforting warmth in the sorrow surrounding the loss of everyone under her command. An explosion from outside jarred her from her thoughts, bringing the more painful memories flooding back.

Haestrom: Observatory Plaza

Shepard and Garrus had taken to the right side of the plaza, heading up to let Garrus get into a sniper position without leaving their asses hanging out to the Geth, moving along cover, Shepard watched Enigma dart off, using his biotics to warp and charge between clumps of Geth pinned down by Garrus' sniper fire. With a great admiration, Shepard watched Enigma obliterating Geth with his shotgun, using his biotics to tear through shields and armor, sending Geth forces flying in pretty much every direction. Shepard turned his attention to the colossus, who seemed very much distracted by a mix of Enigma's biotic display as well as the rain of rockets unleashed by Kal'Reegar that appeared every so often. Shepard gritted his teeth, pulling up his helmets combat display. He waited patiently for the colossus to huddle up for its repair cycle, wanting to use that opportunity to roll a few grenades under it while it began its repairs.

"Shepard! Enigma's down!" shouted Garrus, picking off Geth that were beginning to pile on top of Enigma. It was an unusual behavior for Geth troops, but unknown to Garrus or Shepard at the time, the Geth were trying desperately just to hold Enigma down.

Enigma was angry, he had near single-handedly destroyed a multitude of Geth forces, using Dark channel to "poison" them, his biotic barriers keeping him safe from most attacks, he figured the Geth must have decided instead of trying to break through his shields, they would attempt to get close enough to him to shoot through his barriers, but that had resulted in a pile of Geth laying over him. He felt them scrambling over him, attempting to find his head so they could end him with wasting as little ammo as possible.

"They want to execute me, let them try!" He grunted, charging up his biotics, he unleashed a pulse so powerful, the pile of Geth on top of him was thrown from his back as if they had been standing on a rocket engine. The corpses of the Geth smacked against the walls of the courtyard, a few flying right over the spot where Garrus had taken cover.

Garrus ducked quickly, having no desire to get smacked in the face by a flying Geth, "Spirits Enigma, I didn't know you could do that!"

"Neither did I." Enigma breathed, the flanged voice of the Turian sniper ringing all too clearly through his commlink. He pushed himself off the ground slowly, stumbling into cover just to regain his senses.

Shepard watched as another hail of rockets fired by Kal slammed into the Geth colossus, its shields shimmering before going down. Shepard knew this was probably the only chance they'd get to take it down. He spun out from cover, grabbing 3 grenades from his belt, he looped left his index finger through the pins, his combat gloves sliding through effortlessly as he pulled, reeling his arm back he threw them beneath the colossus, which had just begun huddling up to repair itself. The grenades barely touched the ground before exploding, the Geth colossus stumbled, one of its legs crippled, it stopped mid-way through its transition to repair mode to unleash a volley of mortar blasts that almost hit Shepard as he dove for cover, the debris from the impact bouncing off his armor. Shepard arose slowly, his helmet having absorbed the force of which he had thrown his head head against the ground to get out of the line of fire.

He felt blood and broken glass against his nose, "Dammit! Garrus my Visor's smashed!" He spoke into his commlink quickly, erecting a biotic barrier to shield himself from further blasts as he ripped off his helmet, his lungs sucking in the scalding hot air of Haestrom's atmosphere.

"Shepard! You ok?!" Garrus called out, wheeling his scope over towards where Shepard was crouched, he picked off the shimmering form of a Geth hunter he saw approaching his Commanders position.

"I'll live Garrus, just take down that damn colossus." Shepard coughed, the blood from the bridge of his nose running down his face as he dumped the shattered remains of his visor out of his helmet, immediately clamping it back down over his head. The automatic suit seals now audibly hissing in his ears, _Protection is still protection, no matter how broken it is._ He thought briefly, picking up his assault rifle, he resumed blasting away at the Geth, throwing out a blind singularity or biotic throw every so often to keep them off-balance.

Enigma watched from beneath his cover on the left side of the plaza, the Geth colossus was crippled, it was struggling to stand up, its fluids and lubricants spilling from its wounds as its shields flickered constantly, struggling to come back online, and the best part was it couldn't fold up to repair itself.

"Perfect," He grinned, standing up from behind his cover, stepping with a slight swagger towards the colossus as it fired off a round at Garrus that hit far left of his position. Enigma charged up his biotics, a powerful green glow surrounding him as he stepped out into the open, in a clear line of fire, green balls of dark energy gathering at his fists.

"Enigma what the hell are you doing?!" he heard Shepard call out to him from the cover he had scrambled to in the middle of the plaza. Enigma didn't really care at that moment if he was leaving himself exposed to the rest of the Geth, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. He raised his hands in one motion, clasping them close together as he gathered his strength, focusing it into a single ball of biotic energy. Enigma blinked once, unleashing a "lance" beam of biotic energy like a giant green laser that tore through the air like a hot knife through butter. The beam smacked into the head of the colossus, melting its armor before spewing in an explosion of metal parts out the other side, the green beam shooting through the gaping hole momentarily before fading away. Enigma stumbled forward, landing on his knees in front of the last Geth in the area, a Geth prime. It gave him an almost inquisitive look before raising its foot, but before the prime could stomp him into pulp, an explosion rocked the side of the prime's body.

Shepard let another precise hail from his grenade launcher fly, switching to his assault rifle he charged, firing bursts into the prime's exposed cabling before leaping forwards, his omni-blade appearing on his arm as it shimmered to life as he sunk the searing hot blade into the side of the Geth, mixing a biotic punch in, which sent the crippled Geth flailing onto the floor. Shepard holstered his rifle, extending a hand down to Enigma, who took it gratefully.

"Excellent work, I'm not sure I could've done something like that even with my fancy new upgrades." Shepard said reassuringly as he pulled Enigma up, motioning with his hand for Garrus and Kal to join them at the door to the observatory.

"Thanks for the assist." Enigma grunted, believing full well he could have taken the prime himself if he had just a few more moments to catch his breath.

"It's no problem, that's part of being a team, we look out for one another," Shepard smiled from behind his battered mask. Wincing slightly at the pain from where his visor had shattered above the bridge of his nose. Sucking in more of Haestrom's hot, but thankfully not deadly air, Shepard turned to look at the door, wondering how the heck they were going to get it open.

"Shepard, hell of a job taking care of those Geth, I have to admit your plan went pretty well. And if you want me to take a look at your visor, I've had to do plenty a helmet repair in my time," Kal offered gracefully, chuckling lightly as he tapped his own purple-tinted visor to further accentuate his point. John smiled at the Quarian appreciatively, shaking his head.

"It's quite alright Reegar, I have spare armor and repair equipment on the _Normandy_. You've been a tremendous help to us…And while I'm not sure what honors pertain to Quarian soldiers, I can assure you my personal gratitude is of the very highest," He smiled again at the Quarian soldier before cocking his thumb back at the locked door.

"Know any way to get this open? I somehow doubt Tali would be willing to open it herself with there having been little hope of her surviving the Geth colossus alone and all." He sighed rather worriedly, turning to look over his shoulder back at the locked door. Reegar stepped forwards, bringing up his omni-tool, he was not as much of a techie as Tali, who had no doubt ladened the door with high end encryption, but the Quarian marine suspected he might know a few things more about it than an alliance soldier.

"I do believe I have something, look at this, a standard encryption Quarian alert message…ah! It contains the door codes in case any marines somehow made it past the Geth, if that's the case, I doubt Tali knows I'm still alive," Kal finished, typing away on his omni-tool at the door hissed, dust crumbling from the edges as it squeaked and slid open.

The commander stepped into the dark room, his eyes adjusting slowly to the dim light without the assistance from his visor. He looked around the room, old Geth platforms littered the floor, leading up a small set of stairs illuminated by the dim remnants of holo-screens.

"Shepard?" came the sound of Tali's exhausted voice, bubbling out of her helmet's speakers as she stood to greet them.

"It's me Tali." He called out kindly, his eyes softening from the battle as he took her in, her gloved hands wringing around each other the way they did whenever she was nervous. He watched the fabric of her suit shift as she came up to him, hugging him tightly before standing back to look upon her former commander.

"Thank you, Shepard. If not for you, I would never have made it out of this room. This…Keelah! What happened to your nose, are you alright?" Tali looked at him worriedly, twisting his helmet, she quickly tugged it off, tossing it on the ground so she could get a good look at the damage done. She ran her hands up over his face, scanning for more damage, surprising herself at just how many small scars she could feel beneath his skin despite the thick fabric of her suit.

"Getting a little friendly I see, Tali" Garrus quipped chuckling, walking in behind Enigma, who had taken out his shotgun to remove the spent thermal clips from it.

"N-n-no. I was just worried about him," Tali flushed, realizing the full extent of what she had been doing might be misconstrued as Garrus had so _Kindly_ demonstrated. She didn't want John to be uncomfortable. But…he really didn't look like what she had been doing bothered him in the slightest.

"Like what you see Tali?" Shepard added, raising his eyebrows at her as a grin mysteriously appeared on his face.

"Bosh'tet," She said, smacking the commander's chest before backpedaling to continue her train of thought.

"Anyway, as I was saying, this whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, but I couldn't let anyone take my place on something this risky."

Shepard shifted his weight a bit, leaning down to scoop up his helmet as he looked over Tali compassionately, "A lot of Quarians lost their lives here. Was it worth it?"

"I Don't know, Shepard. It wasn't my call," Tali replied while visibly looking down as Shepard stood back up to meet her gaze, the sorrow prevalent in her voice as she continued.

"The Admiralty Board believed the information here was worth sacrificing all our lives for. I have to believe that they know what's best," She concluded, her arms slightly shrugging slightly in representation of her uncertainty.

"Tali, I didn't ask what some Admiral thought, I asked what you thought." Tali's eyes flicked upwards to Shepard a moment of silent appreciation before she replied.

"A lot of people died here Shepard, some of them were my friends. All of them were good at their jobs. That damn data better be worth it. The price was too high." She shifted her weight uncomfortably, finally bringing herself to look up Shepard as he spoke.

 _He would have found a way to save everyone, Shepard is good at that. I read the reports. He got almost everyone off the Normandy at the price of his own life. I…don't want to lose him again._

"Tali, whatever the reason, I'm glad I could help. Once you deliver that data to the fleet, I could use your help on the _Normandy,"_ Shepard smiled warmly, now holding his helmet beneath his arm, his fingers dangling lazily below the N7 emblem on the side as he watched the Quarian of his affections shift her weight uncomfortably, her bright eyes locking with his before darting away to the ground.

Tali sighed lightly, pulling up her omni-tool the flipped through the data, selecting files to be sent off once she was aboard the _Normandy_ before closing it to walk past Shepard, "I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the fleet. And if the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell, I just watched the rest of my team die."

"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am." Reegar greeted happily, slowly limping in through the door behind Garrus, favoring his left side.

"Reegar! You made it!" Tali exclaimed happily, following Shepard down the steps towards the battered marine.

"Your old captain's as good as you said. Damn colossus never stood a chance."

Shepard nodded at the marine appreciatively, making a motion with his hand to indicate Garrus and Enigma, "Well I did have help."

Tali just smiled at him from behind her visor. It was good to have him back, no matter how impossible it would have seemed, Shepard was back.


	7. Chapter 7-Catching Up

Chapter 7- Catching Up

Starship _Normandy_ : En-route to the planet Illium

John had just sat down with the latest issue from the alliance news network when the door to his quarters chimed. He had realized a long while ago that he preferred to read news articles on the alliance news' extranet address while he drank his coffee rather than listen to or watch those same reports from vids or general news broadcasts, he had made a habit of it, and it was one he always quite enjoyed. Unless he was interrupted of course. Taking another sip, he waved his hand towards the door,

"Come in," he simply stated, taking another sip of his coffee before gently setting it down on his desk and turning in his chair to greet whomever had decided to come to his quarters at 21:02.

"Shepard…" Tali said quietly as she walked into his cabin, looking over to the fish that were swimming lazily about in their aquarium. She had been debating whether or not to come in for at least five minutes outside his door, and when she finally mustered enough courage to chime, she had forgotten why she had gone up to his cabin in the first place, it had seemed like a semi-mindless act, but she was still very much haunted by those she had lost under her command, and around Shepard. She felt as safe around him as she did all those years ago when he had saved her from Saren's mercenary thugs, befriended her, defended her, and cared for her like she was no different from anyone else, despite the fact she was a Quarian.

Seeing her hesitation, John rose suddenly, nearly knocking over his hot coffee as he made a beeline for Tali, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok, Tali? I know I most certainly haven't always been ok myself…all the friends I've lost…"

Tali turned suddenly, bringing her gloved finger to Shepard's lips, silencing him gently, "Shh…Shepard it's not that, I'm used to grief, I lost you after all…" _Keelah! Why did I say that?_

John chuckled lightly, letting his arm drop from her shoulder as he turned to lean against the corner of his desk, his palms digging into the side under his weight. "I got Better. But seriously, there must be some reason you came up here...is everything alright?" his compassionate tone resonating through the silence of his cabin.

Tali finally came up with an excuse as to why she had come up to see him, thinking quickly, she walked over to Shepard's desk, scooping up his helmet from beside his spare and taking it under her arm. "I came to get your helmet, _and_ to make sure your face is okay," She finished, her bio-luminescent eyes darting over Shepard's hardened features as he considered what she said for a moment, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm fine, Chakwas patched me up right before our meeting with Jacob, but the question remains, how long before you start stealing the rest of my clothes?"

Tali stared at him blankly for a moment, unsure of what the jest had meant, "Shepard I would never steal from you, I want to repair your Helmet, I know you have a spare but it would be wasteful to spend a lot of money to repair this one when I can do it for you."

John's smile faded for a moment as he remembered too late the unkind stereotype that regarded Quarians to be thieves. "No, Tali, that's not what I meant, when two people are _close_ in human culture, they will often share things or use items that belong to the other person, if brought up in a joke, they usually refer to one another as _Stealing_ their things, when in fact they are not actually stealing anything…I'm so sorry if that came across the wrong way," John finished, looking into Tali's eyes apologetically, hoping he had not offended her.

Tali blushed lightly beneath her visor in understanding, wondering if the implications of the explanation meant that Shepard considered her more than just a friend. She shook the thought away as quickly as it had come, not wanting Shepard to pick up on her reaction.

"Shepard, it's ok, really. You have been so kind to me from the beginning, I don't believe you would say something to me with mal intent, I just didn't know the circumstances of your joke. But don't go turning into Garrus now, understood?" She quipped back at him, trying to make her lightened tone as reassuring as possible.

"Yes ma'am." Shepard nodded, the warm smile having returned to his lips, prompting Tali to smile herself.

" _Ahem_. Should I go or…?" Enigma's flat tone came from the doorway, having arrived on the scene only a few moments ago, his body language indicative of impatience or uncertainty, Shepard couldn't decide which. Tali spoke up first, quickly brushing past Enigma on her way out the door, glancing questioningly at him as she passed.

"I was just on my way out. I'll see you later, Shepard," Tali called back, stepping into the elevator before hurriedly mashing her heel of her palm over the button for engineering, not wanting to cause Shepard anymore embarrassment from her current bumbling demeanor. Shepard sighed lightly as he watched her leave, admiring the sway of her hips before turning his attention to his unplanned recruit, fiery blue eyes seemingly piercing through his sudden appearance.

"Did you need something?" Shepard asked tentatively, picking up his coffee mug from its place beside his personal terminal, wiping a coffee ring from the table with a stray napkin as he did so. Enigma blinked blankly, openly expressing a growing discomfort with reminding Shepard specifically what he had mentioned.

"You said you were going to tell me about your friend, Liara." While reminding Shepard, he had moved towards the wall just inside the doorway, leaning against it heavily.

"Ah, right, well I did say I would tell you…" Shepard replied, sipping his coffee lightly, his expression taking on a more relaxed state as he began intricately describing one of his oldest friends to Enigma.

 _Normandy:_ Engineering Deck

Tali squirmed uncomfortably in her suit, her mind flashing through the events that had occurred to her over the past few weeks, from Shepard's miraculous return to the fact that she now stood on an almost perfect replica of the original _Normandy_ , working in engineering, just like old times. Tali's excitement to learn as much as she could about the ship's new drive core, was distracted by the thoughts filling her head, specifically thoughts about Shepard. Since his "death" over two years ago, she had not been able to control her grief from the loss. Shepard was always a friend first, to his crew, the people he met, and a soldier second, he was unfeasibly fair and kind-hearted to as many people as he could be during their journey to bring Saren to justice. When Shepard discovered the threat of the Reapers in the process, he vowed to act when the council dismissed his claims. He was everything Tali never knew to be possible in a singular person, she had mourned him, she mourned the time she had spent on the _Normandy_ , alongside a man who valued the life of everyone under his command more than his own. Maybe that's why Tali loved him, she admired the way his honor and integrity always shown through the darkest of moments of even his troubled past. Even now, she was fighting an uphill battle with herself, she felt it got harder to control her emotions every time she talked to him, his piercing blue eyes set her nerves on fire.

 _A woman whose life was in danger, being rescued by a dashing commander…no wonder he has me babbling like an idiot every time I talk to him._ She thought to herself, flipping through schematics on her omni-tool absent-mindedly, wanting to look busy so no one would disturb her thoughts. She glanced up momentarily, gazing lovingly into the now repaired visor of his N7 helmet. Tali had finished her repairs on it long ago, but she was hesitant to return it to him just yet, as the mere presence of something he wore was somehow soothing to her. She smiled as she began to fully understand what Shepard had meant when he had joked about her keeping his belongings. Tali's thoughts returned to reality as she heard the far door hiss as it opened, and watched tentatively as Ken and Gabby, the Cerberus engineers who had previously worked in engineering by themselves, walked out, presumably to seek out something to eat. Tali paid them little mind as she allowed her thoughts to return to her conversation earlier, afraid that it might have been an uncomfortable exchange for her commander.

 _That man, the one in Shepard's mission report, why was he there anyway?_ She wondered, reaching up to gently tug at her hood, re-adjusting it so it sat more freely around her helmet. Glancing at the time displayed on her omni-tool, she decided she would head up for some food before retiring to one of the sleeper pods for the night.

As Tali stepped off the elevator onto deck three, she saw Enigma about to pass her with a tray of food on the way to his room. She quickly stuck out her arm, prompting him to halt abruptly as she stepped in front of him, the fabric around her shoulders stretching as she lifted her arms and crossed them over her chest, leaning back on her left heel challengingly. Enigma held his tray in front of him, looking over the Quarian woman impatiently.

"Can I help you?" He spoke quickly, much desiring for her to move out of his way so he could eat dinner in his room _alone_ and in _silence_.

"I just want to make something clear, I don't know who you are, and I'm not sure if I trust you even less than Cerberus. But you'd better protect Shepard out there. He's died once, and I'm not about to let it happen to him again." Tali shot at him, the words spilling hurriedly through her helmets audio output, her voice oozing with open concern.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told the Turian, I know what I want, and it's to obliterate Cerberus. I am not an idiot, I can tell Shepard won't play along with the Illusive man's games for much longer, and when he turns the tables on that Illusive shit, I'm going to be right there with him, _strangling_ the life out of Cerberus." He retorted, stepping around Tali before retreating to his room, sealing the door behind him without a backwards glance.

Tali stood for a moment, gathering herself before looking left, heading around the elevator shaft she stopped at the kitchen counter, picking up a sterilized dextro-food tube before sitting down at one of the tables in the middle of the room. Connecting the tube to her induction port, she twisted the seal before pushing the plunger, ingesting the paste hungrily as it poked through the slot. She disconnected the tube, setting it down on the table before looking around curiously, watching the crew pick up their nightly meal before retiring. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a blue and black armored figure approach her.

"Shepard told me he had dextro food brought onto the ship as soon as he docked with the nearest space port. He definitely planned on convincing us to join up with him…just like old times, right Tali?" Garrus greeted her warmly, going off to the right he took a seat next to her, leaning back in the chair casually.

"Garrus! I almost forgot to say hello to you with everything that happened on Haestrom...but I'm glad I have now, it's good to see you again," she nodded at him happily before reaching into her pocket. she pulled out a data drive and handed it to him, watching his mandibles flare slightly as he took it, examining it in the light before placing it gingerly on the table in front of him.

"What is it?" he asked tentatively, his gloved talons tracing over the edge of the table as he turned to look at her, his mandibles squeezing together again in acknowledgment.

"It's the files on Enigma, I pulled them from the Cerberus database, I figured you'd want to keep an eye on him considering the kind of biotic powers hes packing." Tali scooted back in her chair slightly, still worrying about how she wanted to be here every step of the way, watching Shepard's back.

"Thanks, Tali. I'm guessing you had a 'chat' with him too, didn't you?" Garrus chuckled, sliding the data drive off the edge of the table into his waiting palm before tucking it away into one of the many pockets within his combat armor.

"Yes…wait, you did too? _Really?_ " She laughed lightly, picturing her Turian friend no doubt employing his endless supply of sarcasm.

"Hah, yes," Garrus chuckled, his mandibles flaring as he laughed, "I basically told him if he made a wrong move, he'd find one of my grenades stuck to the back of his head." Getting up, Garrus made to move back to the main battery for some shut-eye.

Tali spoke up between her stifled laughs however, "That's pretty _Extreme_ , Vakarian."

Garrus turned, chuckling as he left. "By the way, I noticed the commander's little crush on you."

Tali's cheeks flashed red hot beneath her mask, but wheeling in her chair to ask the Turian what the hell he knew, he was already gone. She muttered quietly, flustered with embarrassment beneath her visor, she muttered under her breath, before heading across the near empty deck to her sleeper pod.

"Bosh'tet."


	8. Chapter 8-New Allegiances Pt 1

(A/N: I apologize for the lack of uploads last week, one of my friends died in a boating accident a few hours after I uploaded chapter 7, and these times have been quite trying on my conscious. I am trying to get back into my groove and keep busy. Please excuse if any narrations seem off or something. I'm trying to do my best as I have seen writers who do not commit to see their work through, and I don't like to leave things unfinished.)

Chapter 8- New Allegiances

Enigma woke with a start, the sound of a large _Clang_ resonating throughout his cabin, he shot up off the couch in time to see a large magnetic docking clamp fasten itself over the exterior of the _Normandy's_ hull, a docking clamp extending shortly after, disappearing past the line of sight the window provided him. He had no doubts about what the docking tube was for, so he gathered his things together, swinging by the mess to pick up a sandwich on his way to the elevator. He could no doubt learn more from the buzz of information floating about up in the CIC. The Quarian who approached him yesterday, he could tell she meant a lot to Shepard, he had seen the way he had watched her as she left his cabin, his eyes lingering at _all the right places_. Enigma chuckled to himself, relishing the humor surrounding the appreciation even _Commander Shepard_ had for 'Dat Ass.' Munching on his sandwich, Enigma almost ran straight into Mordin as he went to step out of the Elevator.

"Ah, Enigma, wanted to talk. Made recent connection with previous collector DNA, could use more samples from your unique bio-chemical structure. What time most convenient for you, hmm?" The Scientist inhaled deeply, the ridges around his nostrils constricting against his pale features as he did so.

Enigma waved his hand dismissively, trying his best to scoot past the Salarian before he blocked his path again. "Not right now Mordin, I'll let you know when I am." He exhaled loudly in Mordin's face, the Salarian narrowing his eyes at the human in a display of disbelief, continuing to block Enigma's path.

"Have told me this five times already. You missed post examination. Clock ticking, tests don't run themselves."

Enigma huffed indignantly, pushing past the impatient body before him "Mordin I just don't have the time right now."

"Very well. Understand next time will not be lenient."

Shepard glanced over at Joker as he approached the _Normandy's_ forward airlock, the plates of his combat armor clacking together with each step. Under one arm he had his newly repaired combat helmet, the new visor piece glowing softly with the reflections of the red guide lights lining the hallway floor. Under his other arm, Shepard had a few datapads containing copies of Mordin's most recent research. Approaching the far wall at the rear of the bridge, Shepard set the datapads on top of the weapons locker to inspect his helmet, turning it over in his hands, he could not help but admire Tali's handiwork. He noted the poly-carbonate surface had been cleaned and polished, in addition to the repair of the visor. He flashed Tali a quick smile of appreciation before donning his helmet, the heads-up display flickering to life on the visor.

Shepard's eyes light up with gratitude, regarding Tali with his ever-growing appreciation for her. "Thank you Tali, this is almost like brand-new."

"You're welcome Shepard. I'm glad you're pleased with it," Tali beamed, quite proud of the work she had done on it. She had handed the helmet to Shepard when he appeared on the CIC after docking on Illium, his hands having been occupied by data pads at the time, he had not looked closely at what she had done. She realized now he had been saving his appreciation for when she could have his full attention, which truly did make her feel very happy.

"So, Enigma, you ready to go?" Shepard jested, peering over Tali's shoulder at Enigma, who had just rounded the corner and was now standing in the airlock with them. Shepard's eyes flashed from Tali to Enigma as he regarded them both before speaking clearly.

"EDI, notify Garrus that he's in charge while I'm away," Shepard stated flatly, busying himself with tightening the straps holding his gauntlets in place as the doors slid open, revealing the docking tube connecting the _Normandy_ to one of Illium's various docking areas. Stepping off the ship swiftly, Shepard descended the ramp with squad in tow.

"We've got a Justicar to find."

Illium: Liara's Office

Liara was a patient woman. Having just assumed the role of the Shadow broker was no easy task, and she was managing the role quite productively…well, aside from the nearly sleepless nights and current need to tie up loose ends. She was back on Illium for a few reasons, one was to aid Shepard's search for the recruits he sought, as well as erase her ties and inquiries regarding the Shadow Broker. And right now, the only thing causing her any amount of distress was the fact Shepard had forwarded her data that seemed to coincide irrefutably that not only were the collectors the remains of indoctrinated Protheans, but Shepard had also discovered an individual who shared the same genetic structure as the collectors, and therefore, indirectly, the Protheans. The prospect of this had the scientist within Liara practically jumping out of her skin, but when she demanded Shepard tell her more, he refused, and told her that she would have to wait to speak to him herself. She was jolted from her thoughts as the door slid open suddenly, the heat from the morning sun sweeping into the room behind Commander Shepard as he entered, the sheen of condensation visible on the warm plates of his armor in the cool morning air.

"Shepard." Came her simple greeting, still slightly shaken by the sudden pull from her thoughts by his sudden arrival.

"Liara, I brought someone you might like to meet," he said making a subtle backwards beckoning motion with his hand to Enigma, His bright blue eyes glancing to regard Enigma as he moved up past him towards Liara. She was even more beautiful than Enigma had imagined, full lips and sweeping figure, Liara T'soni seemed to move with a gravity defying grace, her beautiful face complimented by a kind smile. She was a _well-developed_ woman, Enigma noticed, appreciating the womanly figure of the Asari before him.

"So, you are Enigma?" Liara asked inquisitively, her azure blue eyes searching Enigma's form as if looking for some explanation of his existence.

It was Shepard who broke the momentary silence that had settled on the room, making his way towards the door, he made a small motion for Tali to follow him.

"You two have fun. And Enigma, prepare yourself for more questions than an N7 program entrance exam," Shepard grinned widely, glancing over his shoulder briefly as the door slid shut behind him.

Opening his com channel, Shepard dialed in Garrus' hailing frequency. Upon hearing the light beep indicating the line went active, he spoke quickly, "Garrus, meet us at the cargo docks ASAP."

"Shepard, need me to save your ass _Again?_ " Garrus' flanged voice sounded through his earpiece, the underlying sarcastic tone apparent to even the most untrained ear.

Shepard smirked slightly, watching the various species going about their daily life as he walked. "No, you know how Liara gets when it comes to questions even remotely related to the Protheans." As he and Tali made their way through the crowds of various investors huddled around information terminals, waiting to see the latest updates before calling in stock changes, Shepard noticed a Drell moving among them, their gazes meeting for a moment before he disappeared around a corner in the direction of the far transit docks.

"Ah, she's probably _Interrogating_ him as we speak," Garrus replied with a stifled chuckle, the ambient sounds of the Normandy audible through the commlink. "I'll be there soon, Shepard."

The commander nodded affirmatively as he glanced over at his Quarian companion, his gaze settling on the beautiful white patterns sewn into her hood as they walked, "Shepard out."

Illium: Back in Liara's Office

An awkward silence had befallen the room. Enigma, not being the most social person, really had no idea what to say, and Liara was not exactly helping. She stood with a rather inquisitive posture, her body barely disturbing the neat folds of her white and blue combat suit as she swiped through her omni-tool, glancing up at him occasionally. Enigma could see a growing excitement visible in her eyes each time she looked up, her dark blue lips tugging involuntarily into what looked like an ecstatic grin.

"Technically speaking, you are part Prothean." Liara motioned with her datapad, referring to the information Mordin Solus had sent her, on Shepard's request of course. The light behind her gaze was more captivating now, bright and lively as the young scientist within her threatened to overtake her composure.

"I guess," Enigma said contemplatively, his brow furrowing into a deep frown with the memories of the torture and tests resurfacing in his mind.

Liara regarded him for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise with realization she forgot something very important.

"Where are my manners? please, sit." She motioned to one of the sofas up against the wall, her gloved fingers curling back in slowly as she brought her hand back to her side, moving around to the table beside her desk, she located a container behind a stack of data-pads she was packing. Grabbing a glass from the same table, she filled it with water, offering the drink to Enigma.

He took it from her gently, mumbling a gruff "Thanks." Before sinking into the plush sofa. Enigma watched Liara as she turned, admiring her grace and finesse as she returned to her desk, picking up a mug of what looked to be an Asari tea before taking a seat across from Enigma, only a small coffee table between them.

"I apologize for my abruptness before, let me start over," She said warmly, setting her tea down on the coffee table before extending a gloved hand to Enigma, "I am Dr. Liara T'soni, Xenoarchaeologist, Prothean specialist and information broker."

"Pleased to meet you, Liara." Enigma rose slightly, shaking her hand. He couldn't help but feel an attraction to her, she seemed so much more calm and intelligent than the Asari he had met, and he made that notion clear with how he spoke to her. Half smiling rather awkwardly, Enigma sank back into the couch, his eyes locking with the Asari's momentarily. When Liara finally broke the gaze, she cleared her throat, bringing up her omni-tool, she began flipping through her various pages of data that had been collected over the years.

"If it's alright, Enigma, I do have some questions I'd like to ask." She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, worried she might not get the answers she wanted out of such a seemingly Brazen individual. Her uncertainty subsided as Enigma leaned back slightly, catching a fleeting glance of her soft blue lips as she spoke. Enigma was far from comfortable. He had busied himself with taking in her office as he tried to look at anything but Liara, he really didn't want her to think poorly of him for some reason, normally he didn't give a crap what people thought of him. But this was different, and it bothered him that he couldn't quite figure out why. When he finished his sweep of the room however, he regarded her with a nod of his head. "Shoot."

Illium: Transportation hub

Shepard had just arrived outside the districts local law enforcement station, having just spoken to a rather uptight Volus, he found himself wondering just how badly humans were painted among the other races of galactic society, considering how a being less than half his height seemed adept at talking down to him. Shaking his brain back to the task at hand, Shepard moved through the automatic doors of the station with Tali and Garrus in tow, looking around the room until he spotted the section designated for higher ranking levels of officers. Changing his stance, he approached the first desk he saw, occupied by a stern looking Asari, he inhaled deeply within his helmet, the sound of his own breath whooshing past his ears as his bright blue eyes began sizing up the officer.

"Excuse me," Shepard paused, glancing at the name plate mounted on the wall behind her desk. "Anaya, is it?"

She glanced up at him dismissively as he began to sit down, a hint of caution prevalent in her voice. "Nice guns - try not to use them in my district. What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for an Asari warrior named Samara," Shepard stated casually, straightening himself in his seat, the hardened tone of his voice resonating through the hardened metal of the helmet.

The Detective cocked her left brow slightly, "If you've got a score to settle with Samara, take it somewhere else – I've got more than enough trouble here already," she replied suspiciously, regarding the group with slight more concern than before.

Shepard eased his voice down to a more reflective tone as he spoke, "I need to recruit Samara for my mission, then we'll be on our way." He said openly, hoping his honesty would ease the arising tension appearing on the detective's face.

The Asari pursed her lips for a moment, her expression shifting slightly with signs of relief, "Justicars usually work alone, but they _are_ drawn to impossible causes. If you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene."

Shepard leaned forwards slowly, the edges of his armor plating clinking together as they shifted over his waist and thighs, accommodating the movement. "Why are you so anxious to get Samara out of your district?" Anaya sighed slightly, glancing over to her terminal haphazardly as she addressed the commander, her demeanor nothing short of exhaustion, Shepard noted.

"My bosses want me to detain her, they're afraid she'll cause some cross-species incident. But her Justicar code won't let her be taken into custody. If I try it, she'll have to kill me," pausing a moment to sip what _looked like_ coffee, she continued, "I have no interest in dying, so if you lure her away with some big noble cause before I have to carry out my orders, I'm thrilled to help you." Finishing curtly, she paused, allowing the emphasis of her reasoning to set in.

"Your superiors are sending you to certain death for no good reason, you have a right to disobey," Shepard offered, his icy blue eyes piercing the veil of his darkened visor

"We can disobey suicidal orders? Why wasn't I told?" Garrus quipped, his mandibles flaring into a smile with the addition of his sarcasm.

"That's about twice a day," Tali added, snickering briefly.

Shepard gave his friends a backwards glance, the silent praise for Garrus' dry humor visible in his eyes. "Most of the time, I'm not being stupid about it. I can't say the same for Anaya's superiors."

"I'm a cop, and I know my duty. I've been ordered to detain her and I will – unless I can get her to leave my district first" Anaya finished, kneading her hands together absent-mindedly.

Shepard motioned to the door slowly, his wrist flicking slightly with the motion, "How do I find her?"

"Around the corner – go outside, take a left. Look for the police line. I'll send word to let you in. Be careful – the local eclipse mercs have been all over those back alleys lately." She warned, lifting her mug to her lips again as she watched him rise from the chair. Shepard got up slowly, motioning to Tali and Garrus while moving towards the door, he nodded his thanks to the detective before leaving the building briskly.

"Come on, we've got a Justicar to find."


	9. Chapter 9-New Allegiances Pt 2

(A/N: I apologize for the lack of uploads last week, one of my friends died in a boating accident a few hours after I uploaded chapter 7, and these times have been quite trying on my conscious. I am trying to get back into my groove and keep busy. Please excuse if any narrations seem off or something. I'm trying to do my best as I have seen writers who do not commit to see their work through, and I don't like to leave things unfinished.)

Chapter 9- New Allegiances Pt 2

Shepard rounded the corner of the boulevard, a slight swagger visible in his step as he approached the Asari Police, tentatively examining the two women as he passed through the holo-tape harmlessly on his way to the alley. Shepard was a cautious man, but the addition of the police presence prompted his muscles to stiffen, mentally preparing himself for the potential dangers that might lie in wait. One of the guards spoke up as he passed.

"Anaya told us to let you through. Watch yourself - there's merc activity back here. We're waiting on backup." –Shepard nodded his thanks for the warning before taking off into a brisk stride, he seldom faltered his pace once he had set an objective for himself, only pausing once, to properly adjust his heads-up display. When Shepard paused however, Garrus took it upon himself to try a new angle at humor, one he had seen a few times in the various "vids" Kaiden had showed him back on the SR-1.

"Come on Shepard, you're getting slow!" Garrus called back to him, speeding past his commander, sarcasm trailing his voice in a wake, "You know—." Garrus' words were cut off suddenly by a body whizzing past his face and into the wall beside him with a loud SMACK. As the body had flown past him, the wide-eyed Turian had leapt backwards, nearly tripping over himself as he did so.

Regaining his composure, Garrus righted himself, putting all his weight on his right leg as he whirled to look around the room, his piercing gaze scrutinizing every possible detail he could find, "Spirits! What…?"

Shepard simply stood and watched as the events unfolded before them. They watched a red-clad Asari approach the fallen body, now recognizing them as an Asari eclipse merc, he wondered if they had been chased here, and if so, for how long? The merc began to squirm, trying to scurry away from danger as the other Asari approached her slowly, each step seemingly placed with a cold and calculated grace. The audible click of her heels sounded on the hard metal floor as she approached, her biotics flaring up around her.

The Eclipse Lieutenant spat on the ground, struggling to rise to her feet, she spoke loud and clear, surprisingly so for someone who had just been tossed around like a Salarian tied to a ceiling fan.

"Those were my best troops!" she shouted, glaring at the Asari, still trying her best to right herself in the event she was attacked again. Samara was not impatient, living through as much as she had throughout the long life of an Asari, and her movements displayed as such while she walked casually towards Lieutenant, her expression betraying no emotion even as her biotics flared up in a threatening display.

"Tell me what I need to know, and I will be gone from here. _Where_ did you send her?" She asked, the bluntness of her request unavoidably specific.

The Eclipse Asari scoffed, raising her chin defiantly to the elder Asari, "You think I'd betray her? She would hurt me in ways you can't imagine." She finished as she pulled herself to her feet, slowly edging away from the ever-growing danger before her.

Samara followed slowly, her arms following her hips as she walked, the underlying threat of her presence emanating through her words.

"The name of the ship. Your life hangs on the answer, Lieutenant."

"You can kill me, but one of us will take you down, Justicar."

Upon hearing another spout of direct defiance, Samara's biotics alight, and with a wave of her arm, she throws Lieutenant through a nearby window. The Justicar proceeded to follow her, floating downwards from the higher platform upon her own biotic fields. Approaching the Lieutenant's body, she placed the heel of her boot over the younger Asari's throat, effectively pinning her to the floor.

She looked down at the eclipse merc, who was gasping for air, her hands not leaving her sides as she held her there, looking down over her bosom into the merc's frantic eyes.

"What was the name of the ship she left on?"

"Go to hell." The merc grunted, her voice ragged and strained from the force of a heel over her windpipe.

"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess." She spoke quietly, as if in some small respect for the act she was about to commit. With a quick twist of her hell, Samara crushed the lieutenants throat, barely a gurgle escaping the Asari's lips as she died.

When Samara looked up, she noticed Shepard and company standing a few meters away from her, approaching them slowly, she lifted one of her hands in a slight of confusion, speaking clearly as she did so,

"My name is Samara, a servant of the Justicar Code. My quarrel is with these Eclipse sisters, but I see three well-armed people before me - Are we friend? Or foe?"

Shepard's brow visibly furrowed beneath his visor, the striking blue gaze never pausing to question what he believed in. "That merc was wounded and helpless. Do you just kill anyone who won't help you?"

"If my cause is important enough, yes. Are you different?" she replied, making a sweeping motion with her hand as if to display what she had just done as a testament to her word.

Shepard looked back at the deceased merc behind her, his gaze settling momentarily before returning to meet Samara's, he spoke evenly, not keen to antagonize the obviously powerful individual before him. "I've killed enemies, but always with good reason."

Samara nodded slightly in agreement. "I answer to a code that is clearly defined. If my actions are true to that code, I am just. If they are not, I am unjust. I don't pretend it is a simple matter, or that it seems right to everyone. But I sleep well at night, and that is more than most can say. - How may I be of service to you?"

"I'm going up against suicidal odds, and I need the best - that's you." He stated clearly, following suit with how Samara had been completely open to him. Samara paused for a moment, considering a response as she pursed her lips slightly.

"I sense truth in what you say, and it humbles me. But I seek an incredibly dangerous fugitive," she paused momentarily only to move towards the dead Eclipse Lieutenant. "I cornered her here, but the Eclipse sisters smuggled her off-world," she concluded as she stopped mid stroll, glancing down at the younger Asari briefly, she then returned her gaze to the commander. "I must find the name of the ship she left on before the trail goes cold."

Detective Anaya appeared at the doorway, shaking her head as she walked in, her dark blue eyes shifting from Shepard to Samara as she mulled over her own disappointment. "I wish you were willing to go with the human, Justicar. I've been ordered to take you into custody if you won't leave." She finished objectively, approaching the group as she spoke, the sight of a Carnifex strapped across her thigh causing Shepard to tense instinctively.

Samra regarded the pistol dismissively, turning her piercing gaze upon the detective, uttering an unspoken challenge.

"You risk a great deal by following your orders, Detective - Fortunately, I will not have to resist." She paused, memorized bits of information returning to her as quickly as the day she had learned them.

"My code obligates me to cooperate with you for one day. After that, I must return to my investigation." She told the detective flatly, the challenging presence of her power carrying her words.

"I won't be able to release you that soon."

"You won't be able to stop me."

Shepard leaned back on his heel slightly, taking what both the Asari had said into consideration as he looked from Anaya to Samara.

"There must be some way we can all get what we need." He offered, trying to play on the neutral ground to keep the peace, a role he was well versed in.

Samara spoke first, the words rolling off her tongue as easily as they seemed to come to her. "I see a way. While I am in custody, you find the name of that ship. Do that, and I will join you. Then the Code will be satisfied."

Shepard cocked his head slightly, regarding the Asari Justicar with a nod. "Do you have any leads?"

Samara made to move past him, approaching the door slowly, following in step with the detective, "The Volus merchant, Pitne For, is tied to this. Eclipse mercs are preparing to kill him. - Get the truth out of him. He may know a way to the Eclipse base." She said, turning to face Detective Anaya before she even finished. The Detective's eyes went from Shepard to Samara, sighing lightly, her gaze swept over to the Justicar as she spoke.

"I've got to get back to my station. And, I guess I've got to take you with me." She said blatantly, expecting Samara to resist her in some way. The Justicar simply nodded, joining the younger Asari at the entry-way.

"Thank you, Shepard." She called over her shoulder before disappearing from view.

Illium: Transportation Docks

Shepard sighed inaudibly, the Volus before him was not exactly the most forthcoming fellow, and he was determined to get to the bottom of this "missing ship" before Samara got antsy and felt compelled to resist imprisonment. And Pitne For, was definitely not helping him out by trying to hide from his accusations. The Volus wheezed slightly, the sharp inhale of filtered air audible from almost every Volus' suit before they spoke, he eyed Shepard curiously before placing his datapad down on a nearby crate, waddling up to the commander.

"I know nothing about any mercenaries, Earth-clan. I'm merely an innocent merchant trying to make his way in life." He said defensively, his body language not indicating the same however. Shepard glanced over at Tali, who shrugged, before returning his attention to the small being in front of him.

"The Eclipse are out for your blood; I need your help to break into their base. Shouldn't we work together?" He retorted, hoping to appeal to the business aspect of the Volus mind-set. Pitne finally seemed to cave. He turned, snatching his datapad from its place on the crate, turning to face Shepard as he thumbed through various files.

"Yes! You're right, Earth-clan - I'm desperate. I've got angry mercs after me, and now this Asari Justicar. Let's talk." he paused a moment, expecting the human to say something. When Shepard did not answer, Pitne continued, eyeing Garrus' Blue C-sec armor wearily.

"I smuggled a chemical onto Illium that boosts biotic powers in combat. It also is toxic. - I may have, um, forgotten to mention that to the Eclipse. So, they are perturbed and want to kill me."

Shepard Crossed his arms, slowly leaning back on his heel, the challenging nature of the act made all too obvious by his accusatory tone. "It sounds to me like you're a swindler and your actions finally caught up with you." Pitne paused, bringing a hand up to adjust his breather mask before he spoke.

"True and true. But I haven't survived as a merchant this long without being able to tell when there's a deal in the making - you want something," He concluded, making a move to turn the direction of this conversation to his favor.

"The Eclipse recently smuggled someone off-world. I need the name of the ship she left on." Shepard eyed the Volus, careful to look for any signs that the merchant might know what he was referring to. Much to Shepard's dismay, Pitne shrugged, waving his data pad in front of them.

"I don't know about their people-smuggling operations. They must keep records in their base." He finished, clearly exasperated at the fact the human assumed he had the answers for everything. Seeing the opportunity for a trade, the stubby Volus pulled out a shiny card and displayed it to the group, turning it over in his fingers gently.

"I do have a pass card they issued me to bring my goods into their warehouse. Well, I had to return that one, but I happened to make a copy. Just in case," he paused momentarily, watching as Shepard brought his fists together, his knuckles sounding off like soldiers, with crackling noises audible even through his thick combat gloves. Tali winced at the sound, her brow furrowing in slight disgust as she silently thanked the ancestors that her fingers didn't make that sound. Pitne looked at the them hesitantly, finally handing over the card in a defeated manner, a nearly inaudible huff of frustration escaping his suit audio output.

"Take it. Their headquarters is in a warehouse just down near the back plaza. But be careful - each Eclipse sister commits a murder to earn her uniform. They are all dangerous."

"Danger is my middle name," Shepard shot back, shifting the card between his fingers before stuffing it into one of the multiple pouches that he had strapped to the left arm-plate of his combat armor.

" _Really_? _I_ thought it was Anthony or something." Garrus quipped, the ridge of his brow raising slightly.

"Shut up Garrus." Shepard laughed, turning on the ball of his foot, he smirked as he walked past the two of them in the direction Pitne had indicated, his combat boots clinking and squeaking against the tiled walkway as he went. He wheeled for a moment, his arms outstretched as he faced Garrus.

"At least I _have_ a middle name, Vakarian." he retorted, chuckling to himself as he spun back around, leading Tali and Garrus off in the direction of the warehouse.

"Ouch. I'm touched by your kindness, Shepard." Garrus laughed, his mandibles flaring out slightly in an open display of humor. Tali just Shook her head.


	10. Chapter 10-Justice

Chapter 10: Justice

 _Well that wasn't one of our best welcoming parties_. Shepard mused, diving into cover behind some crates stacked against the wall of the warehouse as a rocket sailed over his head, smacking into the wall behind him – sending dust and debris showering over his armor. Tali and Garrus followed suit, taking up positions behind a slightly larger container more towards the middle of the area. and himself had approached the warehouse expecting guards, but not nearly this many. He considered his options for a moment, but the pause in action was an ever-present invitation for their enemies to strike. He heard Tali calling him and looked up in time to see an eclipse vanguard charging his position.

"Shepard watch your flank!" Tali shouted out to him, unloading a round of blasts from her shotgun into the vanguard as she spoke, watching as Shepard dived out of the way of the Vanguard to leave her wide open to Tali's attack.

When the merc fell, he turned to look at Tali, nodding to her thankfully before popping a fresh thermal clip into his rifle. His gun reloaded, the commander leaned over his cover to let loose with a biotic throw, sending various mercs scattering for cover as he opened fire with his assault rifle, pinpoint accuracy scoring him a few kills.

"Garrus! Get me some sniper fire!" Shepard called out, ducking back into cover as a vicious biotic explosion rocked the crates he was crouched behind. Instead of replying, Garrus simply reached to his back, his m-98 widow sniper rifle unfolding as he brought it out, zeroing in on a merc he opened fire, sealing her fate with a searing hot round through the middle of her forehead.

Shepard took the opportunity to vault his cover, advancing on the mercs as he bobbed in and out of various positions, unleashing bursts of cover fire as he went, diving into cover when the return fire got too close.

"Boy Enigma would have a field day with these mercs!" Shepard shouted to Garrus, who nodded before pressing his mandibles together tightly, he pulled the trigger of his sniper rifle, sending a round flying straight through the skull of another merc, killing them instantly.

Tali deployed her combat drone, sending it to outflank the mercs and cause chaos among their defenses. Looking around, Tali squinted over at the warehouse door, her bioluminescent eyes narrowing at the opening which was only open enough to allow something through. Her eyes widened, realizing what it was, she ducked down under cover, calling out to her commander.

"Turret! Get down!" Tali cried out, watching as the mercs hauled out a mobile turret, which had just begun to spin-up.

Illium: Liara's office

Enigma was getting impatient, he had been willing at first to go through with Liara's questions because he assumed she would not have too many for him. And in retrospect, she didn't, she just knew how to make one question branch off into ten more, each answer he gave, or tried to give, didn't seem to get him any closer to the end of her seemingly endless questions. What irritated him most however, was that she could be so _Convincing_. There were things about his past he had never told anyone, like how he had spent the first few years free of Cerberus on omega, simply trying to survive, and maybe make something decent of himself. Yet she had somehow coaxed that out of him, and it was bothersome. _I wonder if she's manipulating me with that mind meld the Asari use_ , he wondered, shaking his head from the thought as he rose from his chair, looking over at the window, he saw the sun was setting, and made a move to leave the room briskly.

"Where are you going?" came her sweet and soft voice, bubbling up from her bosom, a slight hint of disappointment resonating in her tone.

"Some of the questions you're getting to. They're private. I don't talk about my past. I have few friends, only one of them is privy to most of my past. So, I'm sorry Liara, I - can't." His tone flat, Enigma looked over the seated Asari once more, his eyes lingering in hers, seemingly seeking refuge, recourse, or simply understanding - Liara couldn't decide which. When he turned to leave, Liara raised her hand to stop him, fingers outstretched. But as the door slid shut behind him, she stopped, gently returning her hand to her lap, reminiscing about how he had told her that his unique biotic powers were the result of countless experiments Cerberus had performed upon him. Given how he seemed to be withholding the nature of the experiments that involved the collector (Prothean) DNA, she wondered just what had happened to Enigma that would cause the pain she could see in his eyes. This continued to plague her mind even as she was locking up her office to go seek out some dinner.

Illium: Warehouse District

Garrus wiped his brow, returning his rifle to his back as he, Tali and Shepard wandered through the back hall of the warehouse. The silence of the hall was eerie compared to the battle they had just fought, ended by a few well-placed sniper shots to the Turret's firing mechanism. But despite his weariness of the area, Garrus had no desire to keep holding his weapon for the moment, taking a shot through the arm tended to do that to you. Tali stopped suddenly, interrupting Garrus' thoughts and almost causing him to run right into her, regaining his composure Garrus looked past her to see Shepard had drawn and raised his pistol, only there was no one in sight.

"Shepard...?" Tali inquired, the seeming randomness of the act confusing to Garrus as well.

"There's someone behind that crate." He said flatly, firing a round through the terminal that sat on top of the crate to draw them out. This resulted in an Asari eclipse merc shooting up from behind the crate, her hands held high above her head.

"Wait! Stop! I didn't fire my weapon once! I pretended to because the other Eclipse sisters were watching, but I didn't really shoot!" Shepard raised his brow at this, only lowering his Carnifex slightly.

"Somehow, I don't believe that." Garrus chimed in, pulling his assault rifle from his back, he aimed it at her suspiciously.

"I'm not one of them! I'm new! I thought being _Elnora the mercenary_ would be cool...something that would actually make my sisters proud of me! - But I didn't know what they were really like!" She pleaded, eyeing Garrus frantically.

Shepard shook his head at her, holstering his pistol as he did so. Reaching over, he grasped the barrel of Garrus' rifle, lowering it before turning back to face the young Asari.

"Get out of here, Elnora. If you so much as jaywalk, I _will_ find you." He warned, motioning with his hand to accentuate the point.

"Yes, sir! Okay, I'm going! Thank you!" She nodded thankfully, running past Garrus on her way out. Garrus glanced over at his CO before holstering his rifle, joining Shepard as they continued towards the central area of the warehouse. After a few minutes, Tali paused at a terminal to gather any information that might help them. After a few moments of typing, Tali spoke up.

"Shepard, look at this," She beckoned, pointing to an audio entry that was dated the same day as the murder of Pitne For's business partner.

"Play it."

"Well, it's official - little baby Elnora is finally a full-fledged Eclipse merc! I earned my uniform last night when I killed that ridiculous Volus. Up close, explosive rounds. Blew the little bastard's suit wide open! Hah! I can't wait to see some real action! Next time I go home, my friends are going to be so jealous!"

Tali recoiled from the terminal, looking over at Shepard, the disgust of realization visible in her body language.

"Elnora was the killer? We shouldn't have let her go." She said regretfully, looking back towards the terminal as if she was hoping she could turn back time.

Garrus shrugged, pointing at the terminal lazily. "I bet the detective would want that." Shepard glanced at Garrus before turning to nod at Tali, who quickly copied the information to her omni-tool.

Suddenly, the windows of the warehouse shattered under canon-fire, the shards of glass raining down on the trio from above. Moving into cover, Shepard took aim at the windows, half-expecting to see mercenary reinforcements rappelling down into the room. Instead, looking down the sights of his rifle, Shepard could make out the soft glow of afterburners amidst the blinding shine of the searchlight, soon displayed engine as heat signatures in his helmet's HUD.

"Gunship! Take it down!" He shouted, rolling behind the container on his left, Shepard swapped weapons, holstering his assault rifle in exchange for his grenade launcher. Standing up he took aim, unleashing a volley of grenades out the window towards the gunship, when they started to fall, he activated his biotics, using a push to get them to the gunship. As he expected, he heard the crackle of a sniper shot and watched as explosions rocked the gunship.

"Great shot, Garrus." He said while dashing out of his cover, moving up to take shelter with Tali behind a slightly larger container. He worked flawlessly with his friends, having fought together for so long on the hunt for Saren, it always seemed that they knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Garrus smirked at his handiwork, but that quickly disappeared when he saw the gunship turn to fire on him. He did a double take, throwing himself to the ground as two rockets sailed past his position.

"Watch the missiles!" He shouted, peeking over his position to see if Shepard and Tali were having similar problems. Garrus was surprised to see Shepard had thrown Tali his grenade launcher, standing back to back, he was shielding the both of them with a biotic barrier as she pumped volley after volley of grenades into the gunship's hull, causing it to sputter and spin as it caught fire, eventually smacking violently into the alleyway outside.

"Bravo you two, I'm impressed," Garrus chuckled, approaching his friends nonchalantly, his mandibles flaring as he walked. Tali blushed beneath her visor, realizing how close she has been to Shepard, handing him back his grenade launcher, she stepped away slowly, wringing her wrists like how she had always done when she was nervous.

"Thanks, Garrus, good work, both of you," Shepard paused a moment, the flashing screen of a data pad catching his eye. He stooped down, picking up the device he brushed the dust from it, scrolling through the information rapidly.

"This looks like a shipping manifest. It shows that Pitne For sold 2000 units of Minagen X3 to the Eclipse, along with 600 units of red sand."

Tali looked over his shoulder at the data, "This isn't the information Samara needs, but it does implicate the Volus." Shepard nodded, copying the data to his omni-tool.

"Agreed, we've got to keep moving."

Climbing the stairs connecting to the overhead office, Shepard was surprised to find a Volus wandering in the hallway, seemingly unfazed by the commotion of fighting that had taken place before. As he approached, the Volus bumped into him, finally turning to acknowledge them. The commander crossed his arms, looking down at the Volus who made the move to speak.

"I am a biotic god! I think things - and they happen! Fear me, lesser creatures, for I am biotics made flesh!" Volus said confidently, his biotics alighting as he spoke, enveloping his body in a bright blue light. Shepard looked at him for a moment, realizing how truly inebriated the Volus was.

"You need help." He said flatly, trying so very hard not to crack a smile at the Volus' unfortunate state. The Volus stared at him blankly, as if Shepard had just uttered something completely ridiculous.

"You need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever. - Yes, the Asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying. But then I began to smell my greatness!" Shepard said nothing, only reaching around to adjust the rear seal of his own helmet, unsure of how to respond, the Volus continued however, uncaring.

"They may laugh when I fall over, but they don't know what I know in my head - that I know that I am amazingly powerful. Fear me!" he finished proudly, walking closer to the group as he did so. Shepard's gaze wandered over to Tali, who just shrugged at him, Garrus simply shook his head. Shepard cleared his throat.

"Are you part of Pitne For's trade group?"

"When I was mortal, I worked for Pitne. Poor soul is probably terrified that I have not returned." The Volus wondered aloud, bringing his hand up to adjust his mask gently.

Garrus chimed in, his flanged voice reverberating throughout the hall. "I Don't think he's reported anything about you."

Tali nodded to Garrus affirmatively, "Pitne will pick money over friends every time."

"Bah!" he said angrily, throwing up his hand in exasperation, The Volus turned on his heel, moving in a small circle in front of them, speaking as he did so.

"I will wreak a just revenge upon his people! But first... the leader of these mercenaries is in the next room. I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"

Tali Turned to Shepard quickly, an obvious concern arising from her voice. "Shepard, He's not a threat to anyone."

"I will tear her apart! My biotics are unstoppable!" The Volus said as he turned to eye Tali angrily, his biotics flaring up around him as he spoke. Shaking his head, Shepard took a step towards the Volus.

"Wasea will tear _you_ apart. Take a nap - you'll feel better." He insisted, watching as the Volus turned his back to him, making sweeping motions with his arms as if he were conducting a concert.

"Are you mad? I'm unstoppable! Feasting on her biotic-rich blood will…" Shepard interrupts him by giving him a nudge in the back, causing the merchant to stumble over himself and fall over. The merchant hit the ground with a dull thud, looking up and around him he seemed to regain some sense as he pushed himself off the ground.

"But... great wind! Biotic god! I'm... I... what was I saying? I'm... tired," He paused, turning back to Shepard, who still stood there with his arms crossed, peering down at the swashed individual in front of him.

"You... may be right. I'm tired... I'll nap. Destroy the universe later..." He admitted, defeated, the merchant slowly stumbled away.

As Shepard and his teammates walk into the next room, they caught sight of Captain Wasea across the room, her feet propped up on a makeshift desk. The Asari was well built. Ruthless. Shepard could tell by the way she sipped at her drink before slamming it down on the desk, picking up a data pad as she stood, pacing the room slightly.

"Everything's gone to hell since we smuggled that filthy creature off-world. First a Justicar shows up, now you." She finished, tossing aside the Datapad as her biotics roared to life, enveloping her fists as she clenched and un-clenched them menacingly.

"At least I can take pleasure in turning your head into a pulpy mass." She shot menacingly, using her biotics to hurl a container of Minagen X3 at the Commander. Shepard dived behind a crate as the Minagen exploded, sending a shower of the now flaming liquid all over the floor. Unlatching her shotgun, Tali began pumping rounds into the remains of Wasea's troops, motioning for Garrus to follow her to allow Shepard to pat out the flames licking at his armor. Tali used her momentum as she vaulted a crate, her weight shifting over her three-fingered hands as she went, blasting her way towards Wasea. Garrus had set up shop on top of a stack of containers, picking off Wasea's guards with controlled bursts from his rifle.

"Tali, rally on me!" Shepard called out, leaping his cover as Tali deployed her drone, Chatika, to distract the guards as her Commander unloaded several blasts from his Carnifex into them. Running to join her, Shepard slid into the crate next to Tali, pulling his pistol up to his chest, he popped in a fresh thermal clip, swapping to his rifle, he unleased another volley, which finally ripped through Wasea's biotic barriers.

"Garrus, Now!" Tali shouted, emerging from cover to lay down cover fire and give Garrus time to line up his shot. No sooner than had she said the word, Garrus had leveled his sniper rifle and fired, The round travelling clean through the weak point on the side chest panel in Wasea's combat armor.

"Nice shot, if I do say so myself." He joked, marveling at his own handiwork as he watched Shepard and Tali finish off the last few mercs.

 _They really do go well together_ , He thought to himself, wondering when Shepard might _spill the beans,_ as humans said. He heard Shepard laugh, turning to face the Turian as he holstered his weapon.

"Garrus, you're so good at kissing your own ass, why not spread the love?" He jested, turning to watch Tali scoop up the datapad Wasea had tossed to the side.

"The collectors killed you once, and all they did was piss you off. You don't need me telling you how great you are." Garrus retorted, chuckling as he stood, using his sniper rifle for support as he pushed himself up from his kneeling position.

"Hey Tali, that got the name of the ship Samara wanted to find?" Garrus inquired, pointing out the datapad grasped tightly in her gloved hands.

She responded with a curt nod, the information displayed on the datapad reflecting In her visor as she scrolled through it searching for any other logs regarding the ship that had evacuated Samara's query.

"Let's go, we should get this information back to detective Anaya and Samara as soon as possible." He concluded thoughtfully, Garrus and Tali falling into step behind him as he turned towards the door.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to get this." Tali finished happily, quite proud of the evidence she had uncovered.

Illium: Liara's Office

As Liara rounded the corner to her office on Illium after having treated herself to a simple dinner, she paused at the bottom of the stairs, hearing rustling coming from the receptionist's desk that resided just outside her broker office, she walked briskly up the stairs, her m3 predator pistol unfolding as she pulled it from her hip, aiming it at the desk.

"Show yourself" she said flatly, quite frankly bored with constantly being bothered by the continuous stream of thieves that riddled Illium's office districts. It was to her surprise when Enigma popped up from behind the desk, his loose Drell-fashioned trench coat, ruffling as he leveled his Piranha shotgun at her before recognizing the Doctor in the dim light. Enigma huffed indignantly and stowed his shotgun, returning to shift through the piles of data pads and the receptionists terminal.

Liara was perplexed as to what he was doing here, considering the fact he had left her office an hour or so earlier with no apparent intent to return. In hindsight, she knew very little about _him_ , but that had intrigued her from the first time they had spoken, despite the fact she did not learn much surrounding the actual Collector/Prothean gene therapy she had been so curious about. He was reserved, Shepard said he avoided people, but he currently didn't seem to so directly avoid her, and she wondered why.

"What are you doing here Enigma?" She asked, her voice now softer as she holstered her pistol, coming up to the desk to peer at what he was doing.

"Looking for shit." He replied curtly, glancing over at Liara before continuing to sort through the various datapads Liara had been preparing to transport. Enigma thought she might be cross with him for messing up her neat piles, but she seemed more curious than anything else.

"If you told me what you are looking for, perhaps I could help you…" Liara offered, letting her voice trail off empathetically as she leaned on the edge of the desk, hoping he might actually tell her something she was dying to know. Enigma stopped for a moment, sighing heavily as he turned his head to face her.

"Stuff that might give me some answers about my real father, not the wimpy step-dad that wouldn't even lift a finger against my mother's words or ideas.

"I take it you were not close to your mother?" Liara asked hesitantly, surprised at how personal his response had been, mere hours ago he had been shut to her, and she might have been misinterpreting his intent, but it seemed to her that he was opening up, and she wanted to know more. Few people acted as he did, and most of Shepard's other crewmates, while interesting people, did not quite captivate her curiosity in the same way, they weren't introverts, well - except for Tali. And more importantly, none of them had remnants of actual Prothean DNA laced into their biochemical structure.

"Hell no, she was a damn psychopath," Enigma said with an edge to his voice, "Growing up being a fucking science experiment to Cerberus scientists is not really a nice childhood, especially when they'd tell you stories of how you were abandoned to demoralize you and make you more docile or compliant." He said solemnly, hints of anger lying deep within his words. Turning back to the datapad in his hand, he finally found something worthwhile, a genetic record match to General Grimstone. He pondered this for a moment, and pulled up a file he had opened from Liara's database that mentioned more about his father. Enigma had recognized the last name Immediately, having found the records of his biological father when he escaped from Cerberus initially, he had never had the means to cross reference them until now.

Liara paused, unsure of how he was feeling as it didn't show clearly on his face. After a moment of debate, Liara decided to reach out to him with her mind, she did this hesitantly, not wanting to force a meld onto him, but she was empathetic. After all, she had a fair share of struggles throughout her 105 years of life, and it was no different than when she had melded with Shepard to help him decipher the Prothean beacon. She was doing it for a…friend. - Wasn't she?

She pushed at the barriers of his mind with a soft tenderness that only allowed her a glimpse into what he had been told by Cerberus. Liara sensed him freeze when he felt her consciousness echoing within his own, but she was surprised he did not resist and allowed her to see what she seemed to know he could never say out loud. She saw the memories of scientists telling him of how his mother, an agent of Cerberus herself, had come to them, offering her son, "a freak of nature" she had called him. How their family was "disgraced by these unnatural and un-godly power of biotics her son had displayed."

Liara watched his horror and countless realizations that his mother had abandoned him to be a little more than a lab rat to Cerberus, and as she explored his surrounding memories, she found the memory of him discovering the true purpose of the tests conducted on him as he escaped Cerberus custody as a teenager, a powerful biotic with plenty of rage and beginnings of abusive training being his captors undoing. She felt him tense as she slipped deeper, his natural mental barriers springing back up, and she ended the meld quickly, her eyes returning to their bright blue color. Not sure what she had done wrong, Liara opened her mouth to say something, but Enigma reached over the desk with one hand, pressing his finger to her lips in a "shushing" gesture, as he shut off the terminal with his other hand before grabbing the datapad he had found.

"I don't know why I let you do that." He said as if asking himself instead of her. "I don't trust people. But – I – I don't know."

He paused for a moment, "- I'll see you around Liara" Enigma finished, walking around the desk and past her briskly, pulling his coat around him as he descended the stairs and then headed off in the direction of the bar Eternity.

Liara wanted to go after him, to talk to him and listen to him. But she decided against it for now, for she felt guilty, having persuaded him to share his thoughts with her. Humbly, she unlocked her office and retired to her desk, hoping to drown her guilt in her work.


	11. Chapter 11-A Bar Of Wisdom

Chapter 11-

Eternity was _Loud._ A little too loud for Enigma's liking, but that was kind of the point to what he was doing. He sat there in the semi-darkness, sipping at his glass of fine cut Batarian ale and cola as the bar patrons shouted in the background. He was currently busying himself by thumbing through the articles he had taken from Liara's office. Enigma had to admit, he did feel guilty about just taking the information from Liara, he had no doubt she would have helped him if he had asked…And she did seem like the kind of person who would understand his position on the matter. - But this…this business with his past was _personal_. As usual, his thoughts were interrupted, looking up, Enigma met the eyes of the Asari bartender who had begun to speak.

"Hey Babe, saw you pick up a drink from the kiosk, need anything else?" The Asari asked confirming, her eyes passing from his drink to the datapad as she spoke.

"No, I'm fine." Enigma replied nonchalantly, lifting his glass for another sip before setting it back down on the bar with a soft _clink_ , the sound being drowned out by the various patrons milling about the room. She shrugged and turned her back to him, busying herself with re-arranging the various liquors and drinks she sold.

"Well, let me know if you need anything, name's Aethyta by the way." She finished curtly, selecting a bottle from the shelf only to shake her head dismissively at it moments later before returning the bottle to its place. Enigma watched for a moment, his eyes lingering on the large bottle Aethyta had just placed back on the shelf.

"Pleased to meet you Aethyta, I'm Enigma." He replied gruffly, letting his distracted tone settle in the air around him as he watched the Asari. Enigma took notice that there was something familiar about her, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Aethyta chuckled lightly at his words, turning to face Enigma she leaned in on the bar, making an effort to be heard over the cacophony of conversations in the background.

"You know…you're the first human to show a genuine shred of decency since that human with the big guns who showed up here a few weeks ago. – What was his name again? Oh right, Shepard." she finished, reaching to swipe a dish-cloth over the counter where a drunken Turian had been seated, the beverage having noticeably been spilled beside Enigma when the spiky patron had departed the bar in a huff, to cause trouble no doubt. Glancing over his shoulder to eye the ornery Turian cautiously, Enigma took another sip of his drink, wincing slightly at the strength of the beverage.

Looking back to Aethyta, Enigma set his glass back down on the bar casually, eyeing up the Asari with a newfound interest. "Shepard told me he talked to you before. We arrived on Illium just this morning and I thought I'd check out your bar." He stated plainly, nodding his head affirmatively to Aethyta when she offered him a refill.

Aethyta raised her brow at this, eying the scarred human before her as she capped the ale, returning it to its spot under the counter.

"So why are you here then? When Shepard rolled in here last, he seemed pretty set on something, asked me a lot of questions. None about sex." She chuckled, smirking at her own joke before leaning forwards on her elbows again, the cool edge of the glass countertop depressing the sleeves of her dress slightly as she leveled her gaze with his, "Be straight up with me babe, when you've lived nearly a thousand years, you can tell when someone is lying and when they aren't."

"You know, of course Shepard didn't ask you about sex, not only is that not his style, but he's rather fond of his Quarian friend, Tali'Zorah." Enigma replied, making a point to evade the question. This, however, did not deter Aethyta in the slightest.

"Look kid, that's interesting and all, but you don't live to be a matriarch just to listen to people…what's that human saying of yours?" Aethyta paused for a moment, pursing her lips thoughtfully before finally snapping her fingers and returning her gaze to Enigma's, "Beat around the bush." She finished, seemingly content with herself.

He shifted under the Matriarch's scrutinous gaze, the stool he sat on emitting a sharp squeak in response. Enigma gave a loud and exasperated sigh, finally caving under the questions of the determined Asari. "Well, I got some information about my biological father from an Asari information broker, a friend introduced me to her, and while I only just met her, I'm some—,"

"Enigma! Shepard called out, pushing his way past disorientated bar patrons just to get in through the door. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you, - Liara said you'd be here." He finished, pulling up to the bar with Tali in tow, his war-hardened voice piercing the noise that hung over the bar like a thick smog.

 _How did Liara know…? Oh right, she's an information broker._ The thought left Enigma's mind as quickly as it had come, turning to pay Aethyta, he noticed she was eying him curiously. Enigma decided not to bring it up as he raised his arm, activating his omni-tool and transferring the appropriate credits from his account into the drink kiosk. Matriarch Aethyta only narrowed her eyes at this, partially dis-satisfied that she had been "robbed" of a complete answer. For unknown to everyone aside from Commander Shepard, Aethyta was in fact Liara's "Father." And to say the least, she had wanted to know what this _Enigma_ had been going to say about her daughter.

"It's good to see you again, Aethyta." Shepard greeted her, outstretching his hand to the Matriarch as he unveiled one of his trademark smiles, pulling his helmet from his head as he spoke.

"Good to see you too babe, been awhile, keeping out of trouble?"

The commander laughed at this, throwing his head back in a hearty laugh as Tali walked up to stand beside him, secretly relishing the sight of Commander John Shepard's smile of genuine amuesment.

"Actually, Aethyta trouble seems to find me where-ever I go. Must be something I said." John quipped, holding his helmet at his side in firm respect of Liara's father. He knew she didn't know that he knew, but he would treat her none the lesser. Shepard had seen the video surveillance captured by the last shadow-broker, the surveillance that showed Aethyta during a quiet night, staring at a picture of Liara from one of the ANN news sources that interviewed him when he, Tali, and Liara in the aftermath of the battle for the Citadel. Shepard was a soldier, but he wasn't a fool, he had easily put two and two together not long after seeing the clip in the Shadow-Brokers archives.

Aethyta chuckled at his retort, ducking down below the bar to grab a glass of her strongest stuff, she poured Shepard a glass and offered it to him. The commander hesitated a moment, nodding his head to her in a silent respect before his gloved found themselves clutching a shot glass tightly. Raising it to his lips, the hero of the Citadel drank, downing the bright orange beverage in one swig.

Shepard shook his head violently, slamming his glass down onto the bar in a slight shock. Normally the commander would turn down alcohol, his military training and personal opinions usually dictating he not drink. But he allowed himself the leisure just this once, more so out of unspoken gratitude to Aethyta's kindness than anything else. He shook his head again, pursing his lips thoughtfully before they widened into a grin. "Whoooee, that's strong stuff."

"Only the best, babe." The Matriarch replied, grinning at Shepard's rather odd reaction. After nodding at Aethyta again, Shepard turned his head slowly, regarding Enigma rather kindly.

"Lets go, we've got an Assassin to catch." Shepard said while turning to leave, pulling up his omni-tool he began to transfer the appropriate credits to Aethyta before she reached over the counter, placing a hand on his gauntlet. Shepard looked at her hand for a moment, shimmering orange in the glowing projection of his omni-tool before re-adjusting his head to meet her gaze.

"This one's on the house."

Smiling again, Shepard said his thanks and motioned for Enigma and Tali to follow him out the door. After a few minutes of walking however, Enigma broke the silence, his deep and abrasive voice reaching through the crowds of Illium to reach his commander.

"Where's Garrus, I thought he was with you guys?"

Shepard glanced back at Enigma before fastening his helmet back over his head, the automatic seals hissing audibly above the dull drone of conversations lining the streets of Illium.

"He's gone back to the Normandy, took Samara with him to help her get situated. I can't leave Joker to watch the ship all by himself for too long can I?" He said with almost an audible smirk, glancing over at Tali affectionately.

"Think he went for a joy-ride, Shepard?" Tali added, the humor behind her tone bubbling through her elegant accent.

"Knowing Joker, I actually wouldn't doubt it."

Tali laughed at this, letting one hand trace the outline of her pistol gently as she walked. "The bosh'tet better have not damaged MY drive core."

"Trust me Tali," Shepard paused, stopping to look at the young Quarian with a fiery humor visible in his bright blue eyes, "If Joker breaks anything on our ship, I'll throw him out the airlock myself." He finished with a hearty laugh, slowly turning to see if Enigma might join in.

"Can we just go? Please?" He said irritability, swiping through the datapad in his hand so he wouldn't have to look at his commander, a frown visible on his lips.

"Comon Enigma, it was funny."

"No it wasn't Shepard."

"Don't worry, you'll come around eventually." Shepard said with a chuckle, punching Enigma in the shoulder lightly before spinning on his heel, combat boots squeaking against the tiled walkways as he moved.

Enigma rolled his eyes slightly at this, making a point to lower his voice to less than a whisper to muddle in his own sarcasm. "Fantastic."


	12. Chapter 12-The Assassin

Chapter 12- The Assassin

Illium: Dantius Towers Construction Site

It had been less than ten minutes since Shepard and company had arrived at the base of the Dantius towers, and in that time, they had already destroyed a multitude of mechs as well as saved a Salarian construction worker from bleeding to death. It was arguable that there never was a dull day in the life of Commander Shepard, but fighting takes its tolls on the mind, and thus, under the strain of stress, Shepard had been allowing his mind to wander during combat, letting himself hope, and dream of a future he might live one day, spending the time brought by peace with someone specific, someone close to him.

Tali'Zorah Vas Neema had become a symbol to Shepard, not only was she his friend, but she quickly became the focus of his waking thoughts, a symbol of the future he wanted, the _Peace and Happiness_ he craved. He loved her, he couldn't deny that, but he wondered if it was really worth it to try to become something more than friends when he had lost so many loved ones already, who's to say he wouldn't lose her too? Even if she felt the same way, love doesn't make you immortal.

"Shepard?" Came Tali's sweet bubbly voice, the concern in her tone jarring him from his thoughts as quickly as he had become immersed into them.

"I'm _fine_ Tali, just collecting myself." He lied, pushing himself up from beside the pile of support beams he had taken cover behind. How long had he been out of it? The uncertainty of his thoughts and fears plagued him as his gaze drifted around the room, settling on the blinking red seal of a door on the far side. Shepard watched in an almost semi-conscious state as Enigma approached it, leaning his head against the door before motioning to the commander.

"There's someone in here!" Enigma exclaimed, waving for Tali and Shepard to join him. Tali looked over Shepard one last time, her bio-luminescent eyes casting the faintest of shadows as she examined Shepard through her visor, despite not being able to see her face, he could sense her worry. That was enough to bring him back to the present. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he strode across the room to join Enigma, drawing his Carnifex to his side as he did so. Enigma side stepped as Shepard approached, noting the small look of bewilderment on his face as he raised his pistol, punching the door override with his free hand.

Daroth wheeled on the door as it slid open, his small nostrils flaring as he saw three heavily armed figures walk in. Without hesitation, he threw his hands into the air, finding himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

"Please... don't kill us! We'll go... we'll go..." The Salarian spoke quickly, covering his fragile eyes with his hands in defense. Unknown to him, the man who had just entered lowered his gun, his bright blue eyes scanning the room curiously.

It wasn't long before his friend and co-worker tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to the man as Daroth looked up. "Hey, look... they're not Eclipse. You're here to help us... right?" he finished, stepping forward hesitantly to greet the heavily armored human.

Shepard spoke evenly, holstering his pistol as he did so, looking over the two Salarians compassionately. "It's one reason I'm here. Come on out. It's safe enough."

Daroth began to compose himself, he stood, straightening his attire and clearing his throat swiftly, turning his attention to their saviors.

"Thank you. We are in your debt. I am Daroth and this is Shelum, we are construction workers as I'm sure you are probably aware."

Having Mordin around had certainly helped Shepard understand a bit more about Salarians, but compared to the energetic scientist, these two Salarians seemed awfully mellow.

"Maybe you could help me. I'm looking for someone. Not a merc - he's on his own." Shepard inquired, stepping forwards slightly as he watched the two Salarians exchange thoughtful glances to one another. Daroth spoke up first however, indicating the door with his left hand as he did so, "Well, it must've been whoever sealed us in here... When he found us, I thought we were dead. But he just closed the door and locked us in."

Enigma shook his head, "Finally. An assassin with a sense of honor." He said affirmatively, accentuating his point with a wave of his hand.

"Assassin?" Daroth wondered aloud, tilting his head slightly in thought, his brow furrowed contemplatively as he braced his chin with his fingers.

"Here for Nassana, I bet. She's got it coming. You treat people like this; it always comes back to bite you in the ass." Shelum concluded, raising his finger in affirmative thought. Shepard looked them, over once more before stepping to the side of the door, outstretching his arm. "I wouldn't stay here too long. It should be safe down in the lower floors."

Daroth nodded at this, turning to look at the other Salarians in the room, "I was just thinking the same thing. Let's go, everybody." Came his now calm words of encouragement which led the four Salarians from the room, two of whom had not said a single word. Shelum was the last one out, but he stopped suddenly, turning to bow his head at the commander, "Thank you. And tell your assassin friend to aim for her head... 'cause she doesn't have a heart!" he finished curtly, rushing off to catch up with the rest of his co-workers.

After a pause, Shepard turned on his heel, exhaling heavily as he made his way back out into the main room. Striding over to the cargo elevator briskly, he pushed the "call" button, sighing.

Enigma gave his commander a sideways glance, his own gaze following Shepard's as he watched the indicator lights.

"What are the odds that elevator is actually empty when it gets here." Enigma stated tenaciously, stepping to the side so he could press his body up against the wall, hidden from view of the elevator doors, he reached for his shotgun, letting it unfold in his grasp before holding it to his chest tightly.

"Perhaps we should take cover." Tali agreed, the encouragement prevalent in her tone as she began moving to the center of the room hurriedly, her arms swinging back to grip her shotgun, which began to reconfigure its shape as soon as she had grasped it. Moving swiftly, she ducked behind a crate, peeking out only long enough to motion for Shepard to follow her.

"Enigma, good plan staying on the door like that, Tali and I will draw them out, then you flank them." Shepard nodded affirmatively, vaulting the crate to huddle up next to Tali. When the doors to the elevator opened, several mercs emerged, fanning out into the room, the Asari captain nodded to her troops, motioning search directions to each of them. As soon as the mercs had come a distance from the elevator, Shepard turned to face the woman of his affections, giving a single nod before rising to rest his rifle on the crate, unleashing a volley of incendiary rounds that pummeled the merc's shields. It was as if on cue, Enigma spun out with his shotgun, laying waste to the merc's shields with his weapon before grabbing the merc closest to him with his biotics, pulling them towards him violently. A sickening snap was heard over the gunfire as the merc's head imploded within Enigma's biotic field, crumpling to the ground as Enigma swung out his leg under the sole Krogan merc, causing him to stumble as Enigma fired his shotgun point-blank into the Krogan's back. Enigma spun again, blocking a strike from another merc's omni-blade with his shotgun before reaching out with one hand, taking a hold of their helmet, he slammed their head into his knee, his biotics flaring up around him to protect his knee cap from the impact of the armor.

Tali used Enigma's distraction to her advantage, she brought up her omni-tool, gracefully waving her arm as she unleashed her combat drone, guiding it to protect Shepard, who had just vaulted his cover, planting deadly accurate blasts from his Carnifex into the remaining mercs who had only just begun to return fire. Enigma wheeled again, unleashing pulses of biotic energy that brought merc's to their knees, only to be quickly dispatched afterwards by a well-placed shotgun blast from Tali or a precise head-shot from Shepard. Only after the last mercenary had fallen did Shepard stop to catch his breath. Leading his team into the elevator, he hit the button with the edge of his fist, the elevator jolting upwards in response.

When the doors to the elevator opened, Shepard could see an Eclipse Trooper standing at the end of the hallway, pacing in front of a large window as he spoke into his comm unit.

"I haven't heard from Teams Four or Five. Don't worry, _my_ team is always ready to go. I don't know where he is, not _yet_ ," Shepard paused, raising his eyebrow as he stepped off the elevator and walked over to the rather cocky sounding merc, keen to listen to his conversation, "We don't need any reinforcements. I'll take care of it. It's under control. - I'll go down there myself."

As Shepard approached, he cleared his throat, speaking clearly to the Eclipse trooper, his voice containing hints of malice "Turn around, very slowly…"

The Eclipse Trooper froze in place, pivoting his torso only slightly to look behind him. "Damn it." He breathed, turning to face the three heavily armed individuals before him.

The commander cocked his head slightly, the line of his helmet preventing his head from bending too far to the side, "Have you seen the assassin?" He asked flatly, hoping the merc would cooperate.

"Why are you looking for him? You're not one of Nassana's mercs. Who are you?"

"Answer my questions, and I'll let you go."

The Eclipse Trooper backed up, turning to assess where he was, he saw he was dangerously close to the large window, "Look pal, even if I knew where he was, I wouldn't tell you."

Shepard frowned, his brow lowering visibly beneath his helmet visor as he leaned in closer to the merc's helmeted face, " _Not_ the answer I was looking for."

The Eclipse Trooper crossed his arms smugly, leaning back on his heel as he spoke, "I've got nothing more to say to you. I-." He didn't get to finish his sentence as he was suddenly enveloped in a bright green flash of biotics, propelling him through the window, sending him plummeting to the ground below.

"How 'bout goodbye?" Enigma finished smugly, looking over the ledge of the window to ensure the merc fell to his death.

"Was that really necessary Enigma?" Shepard's clear tone came even over the now audile sound of wind whipping in through the broken window.

Enigma shrugged, waving his hand dismissively as he turned to head further into the building, "Eh, he wasn't being very helpful to begin with."

Illium: Nassana's penthouse.

If there was one thing Thane was, it was patient. As a Drell, his patience had constantly been tested, being seen as one of the "lesser species" of the galaxy did not exactly inspire kind feelings among the Drell, or ensure that their carrier choices might be something more peaceful, or honest. But Thane had chosen his path, and after this last job he resolved to start making right by the wrongs he had done, the people he had killed. Thane had watched the two humans and Quarian fight their way across the bridge to the twin tower, their objective obviously similar to his own, they would have had no other reason to be here. Thane had to give them credit though, they were making his job easier as Nassana's merc's left her penthouse in groups, the number of them stationed there thinning as they left to deal with the intruders. Thane dropped from the exterior ventilation shaft, slinking away from the intake silently, he approached the shaft opening into Nassana's office, waiting in complete scilence for the unknown third-party to arrive. He planned to use their arrival as a distraction, allowing him to drop down behind Nassana's guards unnoticed. It was the most effective method given the circumstances, and Thane preferred the guard's not be shooting at him. He wasn't about to get sloppy now, not on his last job. Thane did wonder however, what exactly the other human Biotic was capable of. He had seen an impressive display of power, although notably un-trained, he wondered what that man might amount to.

When Shepard finally burst into the Penthouse, Nassana whirled on him, eyeing him curiously. Her guards stepped closer to her, forming a tighter circle in defense of their employer, their weapons raised in anticipation of an attack.

Nassana spoke up, the slight quiver in her voice as unmistakable as the light of the rising sun, "Wait. Before you kill me, just tell me who hired you." Her mind raced, desperate to delay her seeming demise.

Shepard shook his head slightly, lowering his rifle only enough to show Nassana that he wasn't the threat she should be concerned about, "I'm not an assassin, Nassana. But I'm looking for one," the urgency in his voice only muddled by his deep and controlled breaths. Nassana nearly recoiled at this, her lips rising into a cruel sneer.

"You break in here and decimate my security just to find the person who's here to kill me? What are you playing at, Shepard?" she asked, pausing to look at one of her guards, who was pointing her shotgun in various directions. "What?"

"I heard something." The guard replied, her dark blue lips pressing into a frown as she scanned the room, looking for the source of what she heard.

"Damn it. Check the other entrances," Nassana ordered, turning momentarily to wave her guards off in different directions before turning to point at Shepard. Her eyes narrowed, examining the commander suspiciously.

"You... stay put." She spat, her eyes un-moving from his gaze. Thane chose that moment as his time to strike, dropping down from the air duct, landing silently behind Nassana.

"When I'm finished dealing with this nuisance, you and I are going to..." Her voice trailed off as she heard the sound of a neck being snapped, Thane, true to his work, was skilled, and it showed as such as he dispatched Nassana's two remaining guards with ease, snapping their necks from behind. Nassana barely got the question out as she spun to face him, the fear radiating from her body so strongly, Thane could smell it.

"Who...?" Thane brought his pistol to her chest and fired, the shot travelling up through her abdomen and into her heart. Barley more than a groan escaped Nassana's lips as Thane laid her down on the desk, pulling her hands up across her chest gently, releasing his grip only long enough to clasp his hands together in prayer, his index fingers intertwining slightly as he settled.

"And finally, we meet the assassin himself," Tali stated, retaining her steady aim at the Drell, ready to fire if he decided to attack Shepard. The Commander paused for a moment, his lips pursing unseen beneath his visor.

"I was hoping to talk to you." Shepard stated, crossing his arms casually over his chest. Thane looked up slightly, only long enough to regard the commander with a fleeting glance, the sound of his deep and hollow voice following moments after.

"I apologize, but prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken." He replied, calmly concluding his prayer with a few muttered words.

"Do you really think she deserves it?"

"Not for her," Thane began, seemingly acknowledging Shepard for the first time as be began to pace the room, "For me. - The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you, for instance. All this destruction...chaos. I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well... here I am."

"I do want to talk to you... but how did you know I was here?" He asked quizzically as he watched the Drell walk past him.

"Gunfire and explosions. I prefer to work quietly. If I have to fight through guards, I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes," he paused, passing Shepard again to look out the window, "You disrupted my plan, but your distraction eventually proved valuable."

"Let's cut to the chase. I need you for a mission."

"Indeed."

Shepard cocked his head slightly, the vapor from his breath fogging his visor slightly as he spoke. "You're familiar with the Collectors?"

The assassin nodded affirmatively, his back still facing Shepard. "By reputation only."

"They're abducting entire human colonies. Freedom's Progress was their handiwork." He explained, his hand rising from his side to adjust one of the straps holding his chest-plate on.

"I see." Thane replied, rays of light from the setting sun following his silhouette as he bowed his head slightly.

"We're going after them." Shepard affirmed, leveling his voice as he spoke, the sorrow behind his tone showing slightly through the seriousness. Thane turned to Shepard suddenly, his coat shifting as he did so, stilling only long enough to allow the gaze of his black eyes to regard the commander thoughtfully.

"Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so."

"They told me it was impossible to get to Ilos, too." Shepard challenged, the slightest of smirks appearing beneath his visor while he spoke.

"A fair point. You've built a career on performing the impossible. This was to be my last job," he paused, returning his attention to the window slowly, considering what Shepard had told him.

"I'm dying. Low survival odds don't concern me. - The abduction of your colonists does."

Shepard's eyes widened slightly, concern filling them as he looked upon the Assassin in a new light. "You're dying? Are you contagious? How long do you have?"

Thane turned again, holding up a hand in a kind motion to silence him, "If you're interested, we can discuss it on your ship. The problem isn't contagious, and it won't affect my work." The Drell spoke evenly, his voice controlled and un-betraying of any personal concerns he might've had. Stepping forwards, Thane outstretched his hand, offering it to Commander Shepard.

"I will work for you Shepard. No charge."

"That's all I need to hear, glad to have you aboard."


End file.
